The Ledger
Every statement that passed quotation and attribution checks. Mix any filter with any other: certainty 1/5, debate potential 5/5, or both at once.
why aren't all 11 resolved? a statement only gets an assessment when the public record can support or contradict it. opinions and what-ifs never can, and 0 checkable ones are still open, waiting for their date. predictions held up or didn't; assertions are supported or contradicted. on every card: ▮▮▮▮▮ certainty · ▮▮▮▮▮ debate potential. speakers are clickable
Senra: Microsoft held 'Borland War Councils' and printed 'delete Philippe' T-shirts
“Gates held meetings that became known around Microsoft as the Borland War Councils, during which him and his staff plotted how to beat the Frenchman being Philippe Kahn. Gates reportedly walked into one such meeting and threw Kahn's picture down on a table and…”
Bill Gates Claimed True AI Would Be Worth Ten Microsofts
“If you invent a breakthrough in artificial intelligence so machines can learn, that would be worth 10 Microsofts.”
Senra: Microsoft offered $90 million to buy Pixar
“So they get an offer from, Microsoft's just one of these companies. Steve's like, hey, I want a hundred twenty million for Pixar. And, you know, he just made up the number, and Microsoft will give you ninety million.”
Microsoft Operated with Only 11 or 12 Employees Four Years In
“Four years in, and they had just 11 employees. I think they might have had 12 because they take that picture, that famous Microsoft picture when they're moving from Albuquerque to Seattle. And there's only 11 people in the photo, but I'm pretty sure there was …”
Gates rejected Ross Perot's mid-seven-figure Microsoft buyout offer in 1979
“Ross Perot tried to buy Microsoft in 1979 for quote, mid seven figures. And this is what Bill Gates said. Bill Gates said, no. I want to remain independent. Now keep in mind, Microsoft's revenue that year was just 2.4 million dollars.”
Microsoft Had $7M Revenue and Under 40 Employees Entering IBM Deal
“Now Microsoft, a company with seven million dollars in annual sales, had fewer than 40 employees, and was about to go into business with IBM, an international giant with revenues approaching thirty billion dollars a year.”
Senra: Microsoft's Initial MITS Contract Granted Exclusive BASIC Sublicensing Rights
“The deal that they signed with MITS gave them the exclusive rights to sub-licensed R software to any other company that wanted to use the AD-AD basic in their products would have to get the source code, which he describes as the recipe to basic, through MITS a…”
Microsoft was the first software company to surpass $1B in annual sales
“Well, by 1990, Microsoft had become the first software company in history to sell more than a billion dollars worth of software in a single year.”
Gates sold 5% of Microsoft for $1M solely for VC expertise
“Bill sold five percent of Microsoft for a million dollars. Can you imagine? Five percent of million of Microsoft for a million dollars to TVI, which is technology venture investors. Microsoft did not need the venture capital. Gates was essentially hiring the f…”