Microsoft is in the early stages of a major shift as the world’s largest software company begins to compete with its vendor partners by releasing its own Windows hardware. While some believe the strategy is sound since Microsoft’s partners are too reliant on Windows to put up much of a fight, one former Microsoft executive thinks the company is “basically malfunctioning” by encroaching on its partners’ businesses. Instead, he thinks Microsoft should be dominating the social networking space. “It seems to me that Microsoft is basically malfunctioning,” Joachim Kempin told ReadWrite in an interview. Kempin joined Microsoft in the ’80s and was with the company for nearly 20 years. “Back in the late 1990s we had our own tablet under development,” he continued. “It never saw the light of day. When I left in 2002 people were talking about social media.”
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.