Microsoft First Generation: The Success Secrets of the Visionaries Who Launched a Technology Empire

by Cheryl Tsang

What began as a modest start-up partnership only twenty-five years ago has already surpassed all the giants of contemporary capitalism, including General Electric and IBM, and has achieved a value estimated at nearly $500 billion. How did Microsoft achieve all of this in so short a time? What was the true nature of the Microsoft environment in the beginning, and what are the secrets behind its triumph?

Find the answers here. With \IMicrosoft First Generation\N, Cheryl Tsang skillfully renders recent history in bold, colorful strokes, highlighting each of the specific business qualities and entrepreneurial traits that turned Microsoft's dreams into reality. Meet the early builders of Microsoft, and step inside the famous culture of loyalty, the storied "maniacal work ethic," and the hardcore world of reckless risk-taking that remains so integral to the computer giant's matchless and ongoing success.

Here, up close and personal, Tsang introduces readers to twelve members of Microsoft's mythic first generation, each of whom has walked away from Microsoft as a multimillionaire. The collection spans a diverse collection of creative geniuses and business wizards, from Bob O'Rear, employee number seven, who joined the team in 1977 and wrote the original MS-DOS program on the first IBM PC; to bestselling author Russell Borland who, after innocently answering a help wanted ad for a technical copywriter in 1980, suddenly became the mouthpiece of an entire company, singlehandedly familiarizing the world with Microsoft products; to Trish Millines, who began as a software tester in 1988 and then blazed a trail and effected lasting change as a powerful advocate for ethnic diversity in the technological arena.

Featuring candid appraisals of the idiosyncrasies of software culture, fascinating portraits of the enigmatic Bill Gates, and rare photographs of the company's early days, \IMicrosoft First Generation\N uncovers a range of surprising success secrets-and reveals, once and for all, exactly what makes Microsoft tick.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

262 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 1999

Reviews

[Vincent V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard work seems to be underrated.

[Derek Neighbors · Rating 4 out of 5]

Those that know me well, know that I am not a fan of Microsoft products. However, there is no denying that Bill Gates and Paul Allen created something special back when they began. I have heard Bill and Paul's stories, but this book was different. It showed how the company was perceived not by the founders, but by the first wave of employees that implemented the vision the founders put before them.

Cheryl did a fantastic job of telling the stories of these employees. Showing the culture of Microsoft. Highlighting that many of the first wave left as Microsoft got bigger because they couldn't adapt to a more corporate setting. This gave me insights into Microsoft that I have never had before. I felt what it must have been like to be there in the beginning before the machine started to turn people out. If I was born 5 years earlier I may have been a Microsoft fan.

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book contains short bios of 12 people who were one of the first people to work for Microsoft. A hard-copy is hard to find, but the audio book version is still available. It's fun to hear the stories and anecdotes of these people, but that's just about it really. The narrator read in a monotone manner with an annoying sounding voice. Like a computer generate voice with some intonation. The book does not reveal much about Microsoft as a company. It just tells some stories about life at Microsoft as an employee at that time.

[Sean Sexton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of Microsoft in the early days, told in the form of twelve stories of important Microsoft employees hired in the early years of the company.

[BLACK CAT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mini bios of the first generation and their contribution to Microsoft.