I had the somewhat unique opportunity to attend one of those Soirees at the Paul Allen museum. It was the closest thing to being treated like royalty I’ve ever experienced and a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing chapter of my life.
Yes, I have serious problems with Bill Gates’s weird issues, and I am not sure about the way Microsoft has been led by Satya Nadella. But from casual contact both Paul Allen and Steve Ballmer seemed like pretty decent people.
Despite being a big tech conglomerate filled with lefties and all the baggage and nonsense... it is still amazing to me how little I have actually spent on Microsoft products during my life compared to the value and utility that I have received from them. Sometimes Microsoft products can be frustrating, but overall, largely by setting the standards and providing a reliable platform they have been very valuable to the world. And in most ways we can all be grateful for what the Microsofties have provided.
Even Linux distributions have been greatly influenced. This has gone both ways, of course. It can be argued that much if not most of Microsoft’s innovations have come from mergers and acquisitions along with copying outsider’s ideas. But still, no matter how we got here, at this point in time most cannot completely replace them or their products. Someday, they will fall, but not for awhile.