Maybe, just maybe it wasn't in the cards or something like that.
Any answer is just as good as the next.
The same is true when it comes to making money in stocks. In the case of Microsoft, the company face a mountain of competitors from Silicon Valley, Japan, China, and Europe who are all trying to enter each others' turf. Add in the advent of the Internet and the amount of competition is unforseen. With Dot Coms popping up overnight, no one company can afford to rest on its past performances.