How Bill Gates Works
Gates insisted the contract be an agreement of sale, not a license, believing you must own a product to control its evolution. That ownership let Microsoft sell MS-DOS repeatedly under its own name.
Tips
The small company whose DOS Microsoft bought and turned into MS-DOS.
Gates insisted the contract be an agreement of sale, not a license, believing you must own a product to control its evolution. That ownership let Microsoft sell MS-DOS repeatedly under its own name.
Tips
It sold Microsoft rights to QDOS, a quick 16-bit system, for $25,000 and then $50,000 for full ownership. That $75,000 bought the base of what became billions in revenue, and Patterson joined Microsoft.
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OtherA consumer technology company that makes the Mac, iPod, iPhone and software.
OtherGoogle's web search product, now including AI Overviews, AI Mode and Lens.
OtherGoogle's app store for Android, with its own listing rules and search ranking.
John D. Rockefeller's oil refining company that came to dominate American kerosene and oil distribution.
OtherThe world's leading contract chip maker, a pure-play foundry that manufactures chips for fabless designers.
OtherAn electric car maker that builds its own key components and factories.
OtherA semiconductor company that made memory chips and the first microprocessor.
OtherA private aerospace company building reusable rockets, the Dragon capsule, Starship and the Starlink satellite network.