Now Microsoft, driven by its own logic, is reluctant to move the browser where its destiny calls. There's an important linkup that's not happening, the Web wants to be a writing environment, and as long as the same company owns both the browser and the leading word processor, and as long as the investment community of the Valley doesn't tune in, it's not going to happen. Like Microsoft, I think the venture capital industry is responsible not only to their investors, but also to the larger developer community, the ones who create new stuff, rain or shine, whether or not they're riding a rocketship to IPO-land. We all have an interest in choice, because it keeps things competitive. If we had the support of Doerr, as we have asked for and received support from Gates, he could do a lot of good here, with more leverage than he can in the larger issues he and his wife Ann tackle, such as high quality education for all people, not just people with money.
Leverage is the key here, and straightening things out also happens to be good for business, imho.
I urged Doerr to learn from what happened in the last few years. Long-term investments matter. On Tuesday in Building 33 on the Microsoft campus, I argued that integrating writing and reading was in Microsoft's interest because it would create explosive growth in software, and that can only benefit the largest software company in the world. I think perhaps for the first time in its existence, Microsoft is ready to hear this message. Control is no longer an option for them.