Product Description

Does Bill Gatess retirement consign Microsoft to the corporate retirement home as well? Mary Jo Foley doesnt think so. Her 25 years of Microsoft-watching provides a unique vantage point from which to speculate on how Microsoft might write its next chapter. Identifying signposts and interpreting clues she knows well, Foley offers a thought-provoking view of the software giants post-Gates future. Dont be surprised to be surprised.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #233749 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Review
"The award-winning journalist author has access to inside information and what she has to reveal will bring tremendous media attention".(The Bookseller, Friday 14th March 2008)

"If you need a Christmas gift for an insomniac geek, look no further." (ComputerWeekly.com, September 30, 2008)

From the Inside Flap

In the beginning, there was Bill Gates. Then were born Windows, Office, Internet Explorer, Xbox, and assorted other progeny. There were billions in revenue and tens of thousands of employees worldwide.

And above all, there was power.

But challenges arose. There were antitrust suits and rumors of more. The Internet star grew brighter. Google and AJAX and open-source technology threatened to unseat the master. Suddenly, there were murmurs of discord in Redmond paradise. Yet despite it all, the idea of Microsoft without its creator at the helm seemed unthinkable.

On July 1, 2008, the unthinkable becomes reality as Bill Gates retires from his daily responsibilities at Microsoft. From her 25 years of studying the company, Mary Jo Foley has developed sharp insight and a unique perspective on what the future might hold for Microsoft minus Gates.

This is a remarkably incisive look at leadership, potential products, management and product development styles, licensing issues, and other signposts. Who are the rising stars? What does the business model look like? Does the brass ring lie with consumer products or business solutions? What's ahead for Ray Ozzie, Steve Ballmer, and Steven Sinofsky? How will Microsoft digest future acquisitions during its "2.0" phase?

Whether you're a customer, competitor, business buff, or garden-variety consumer, this look at the next generation of one of America's corporate monoliths is riveting reading.

From the Back Cover
"Mary Jo Foley is 'Ms. Microsoft.' She seems to know everyone and everything that's going on at 1 Microsoft Way in Redmond, WA."
—Robert Scoble, A-list blogger and author of Naked Conversationsscobelizer.com

"When I want to know what's going on inside Microsoft, I turn to Mary Jo Foley. She knows more about what's going on in Redmond than most insiders."
—Ed Bott, award-winning technology writerblogs.zdnet.com/bott

"Ms. Foley . . . does a fabulous job of tracking the pulse of Microsoft and what new developments are on the horizon."
—Mini-Microsoft minimsft.blogspot.com

A glimpse beyond the Gates

Does Bill Gates's retirement consign Microsoft to the corporate retirement home as well? Mary Jo Foley doesn't think so. Her 25 years of Microsoft-watching provide a unique vantage point from which to speculate on how Microsoft might write its next chapter. Identifying signposts and interpreting clues she knows well, Foley offers a thought-provoking view of the software giant's post-Gates future. Don't be surprised to be surprised.

Customer Reviews

Valuable information for an analyst
Mary Jo Foley has made a valuable contribution to investors and stock analysts. This books makes it easier to understand Microsoft's background, which kinds of business models does Microsoft employ to make money, and the future evolution of these models. This book is helpful if you are going to estimate future cash flows and calculate the intrinsic value of the company. Whichever tools do you have to your disposition as an analyst, this one is a worthy addition.

The author has done great job summarizing miscellaneous (and sporadic) sources of information like various speeches, blogs, and articles. She has also used Microsoft's SEC filings like annual and quarterly reports.

First, she introduces the reader to terms used by Microsoft, e.g. what is "eXperience", "S+S", "Office Live" and so on. Rather than copying vague definitions from the website, she really makes the reader to understand what lies behind these terms in a neutral manner.

Then, she focuses on key people of Microsoft, near-term products of Microsoft, and then devotes the most of the book to the business models. She is not a Microsoft insider and didn't have support from Microsoft key people while writing this book, thus she uses neither overly optimistic nor pessimistic voice: she is quite neutral. The fact that she is not an insider is also good because she doesn't have to do any promises that she have to keep.

There is a useful "annotated reading list", which list blogs which you might want to read to keep in touch with Microsoft. This section also lists some books, but they are quite old and are interesting only in historical perspective.

The only disadvantage of this book is that is somewhat small: more analyses and figures would have been useful for better understanding of the business models of Microsoft.

Thought Provoking Insights
Do you work at Microsoft, at one of their partners, or competitors? Own their stock? Then this book is for you. Most people count Microsoft out in the age of Google and the Web, but not Mary Jo Foley. She writes an honest, fair, and balanced book on where Microsoft is headed based on their current trajectory and her knowledge from covering the company for 20 years. Mary Jo takes you on a tour of who the new players are in the post Bill era (and there are some surprises) as well as gives detail on the current product line and what they mean in the "Web 2.0" era. Then she focuses her attention on products and services under development and how they fit into the new era. She has done a great job peering into the future with her predictions on future directions and business models for Microsoft.
This is a great read and an important book for anyone who deals with Microsoft, friend of foe. (Tip, read the footnotes, there are great nuggets of information in them!)

Excellent Insight
I just finished reading MJF's book last night. Microsoft 2.0 is a fascinating and exceptionally well written read. It provides remarkable insight especially given that it's written from the outside looking in. Possibly the most interesting section is the part that discusses the next generation leadership and their projects. A book like this had to have been very difficult to write in that its forward looking and the winds of technology change constantly (i.e., Yahoo deal). I came away from reading this book with a better understanding of the direction MSFT is trying to go.