Microsoft is Dead?

Is Microsoft dead? Paul Graham thinks so in one of his essays here.

Here, 'dead' denotes'dwindling to insignificance', instead of going out of business. Graham listed 4 reasons:

1. Google
2. Ajax
3. Broadband internet
4. Apple

I am not familiar with the Ajax technology, therefore no comment. However I agree with the other three.

Personally, instead of proclaiming MS is a piece of (soon to be) dead meat, I will say MS still stands a good chance to fight back due to two factors: The first one is cash, as Graham noted in his essay, MS is literally flooded with cash. By buying some good startups, it is possible MS can regain the lost ground and fight back.

Another factor we need to pay attention is Bill Gates. Even though Gates doesn't devote much time into MS anymore, but if it goes in deep shit like what Dell is up to now, I don't see why he will not jump back on the driver's seat like what Michael Dell has done.

Some tend to dismiss Gates and attribute the rise of MS solely to luck: it was in the right place at the right time. We couldn't contest this hypothesis by reversing the time and put another guy, say George Bush Jr. as head of MS. The bottom line is: if I plan to invade MS territories, I won't neglect the movement of this man.