Chapter 243 Internal Discord at Microsoft

"I slept fine, buddy. If you're too tired, you should rest first. Sorry for bothering you so early. I'll call back in the afternoon."

"Wait, it's okay. Go on, who's this Kildall guy?"

Listening to Paul's apologetic tone mixed with concern for disturbing his rest, Carter took a deep breath. Confirming he hadn't misheard, Microsoft had indeed passed up on operating system work.

But Kildall, could it be the Dell guy?!

"Mr. Kildall? He's the boss at DRI, Gary Kildall. They're the experts in operating systems. Bill passed IBM's people over to them. Any issue?"

Paul's voice still carried uncertainty and a hint of innocence.

He couldn't fathom why Carter, his good buddy, seemed annoyed. Was it morning grumpiness?

"I got no problem! Great job, but don't do it again next time!"

Carter held back a rush of emotions, almost giving himself an internal injury.

Microsoft was his golden goose!

Nothing to do with ownership, but getting in early with a top-tier internet company yet to reach its prime. Snagging a piece when they were weakest, the immense profits...

And now you're telling me you're not doing your own flagship products?! After hearing this news, Carter felt like reality was playing tricks on him. He took a couple of deep drags on his cigarette to calm his emotions before responding to Paul's query.

"So, what did you want to say with this call?"

"I, I wanted to ask, if we want to secure the IBM order, what do you think we should prepare? Oh, and we've expanded our team, hired over twenty programmers, so we're getting some size!"

"You mean the orders for Basic programming language?"

"Exactly. Any suggestions?"

"No suggestions, just do what makes you happy!"

With that, Carter hung up the phone. His good mood for the day vanished!

As Carter stewed over Microsoft's baffling move, the girls around him bore the brunt of his frustration. Woken up abruptly from a deep slumber, they were subjected to his abrupt commands to "Get up and work!"

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Back to the morning, inside Microsoft's offices in Bellevue, Washington.

After Paul hung up the phone, several pairs of eyes turned to him.

"Don't look at me, guys! Carter said 'Do what makes you happy,' but I don't think it's an endorsement. It feels like he's especially concerned about the operating system!"

"I told you, we should do an operating system! We need to nail this down; after all, it's the product facing users directly. Who cares about the languages behind it?"

Paul's words garnered immediate agreement from Kay Nishi.

"Stay calm, Kay! Building an operating system from scratch is too complicated. We don't have the technical reserves, and there's no time! Samms was clear; IBM expects to formalize the project within two months."

Gates tapped his excited old buddy's desk, rocking his chair while pointing out the practical problems.

"Paul, you're right. But I think we should consider Carter's viewpoint. His brother from Newville was with him for half a month, right? A guy who can scare Gabby? His judgment can't be that bad!"

Paul nodded, acknowledging Bill's concerns about practical difficulties. However, as someone who had just spoken with Carter, he felt compelled to raise the issue again.

"What about the operating system? Why did you guys push that work away?"

"Nicety point! Carter attaches great importance to it. I've never seen him so agitated or surprised."

"Brand recognition, maybe? Only with operating software can we establish our brand. Even if we do our best now, only insiders know us. Essentially, we're just working for giants like IBM, outsourcing for them."

Kay Nishi's stance was clear: they needed to develop an operating system.

"If another company can do better or offer a lower price, we'll lose business. But if we have products directly facing ordinary users, cultivate their habits, we won't have trouble selling our products!"