Just to be clear, here’s the actual exchange:
Nick Wingfield to Ed Lazowska:
I’m doing a story for early next week about Gates and his role at Microsoft. I thought you might have a thoughtful perspective on whether Gates will continue to be a figure of influence at Microsoft in the near future and why.
Ed Lazowska to Nick Wingfield:
I don’t have any special insight regarding BillG. My guess (and it’s only that):
Microsoft and Bill Gates are synonymous. Bill spent 33 years in a day-to-day role at the company – from 1975 to 2008. It’s impossible to walk away from something that you have shaped and led to that extent, and with which you are so personally identified. I think there’s zero chance that he disengages – if anything, I bet he engages more.
At the same time, I feel terribly badly for Steve Ballmer. Yes, it was time for a change. But he is getting blamed for many problems that are due to others – and those others are getting a free pass. Additionally, he is not getting credit for his many accomplishments.
Read the article here.