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Feb 2025
23m 55s

Seizing opportunities

Microsoft Alumni Network
About this episode

Behind the bets that shaped modern computing

Microsoft’s early deal with IBM to provide the operating system for the first IBM PC is noted as a pivotal moment in the history of personal computing. In this episode of Beyond the Blue Badge, co-hosts Larry Hryb and Becky Monk share stories from early Microsoft leaders Steve Ballmer, Bob O’Rear, Scott Oki and Bill Neukom of how the deal came together, the challenges Microsoft faced, the strategic moves made, and the ultimate “divorce” that established Microsoft’s dominance in the software industry. 

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