Interview with Li Kai: Who dominated Microsoft's future
Gates: Microsoft's power
Q: After you resigned, you will first enter Apple, then go to SGI, and now I am tomorrow. These three outstanding company leaders Steve Steve Jobs, Jim Clark and Bill Gates are the legendary characters of IT, you are willing to compare these three people?
A: Unfortunately, I am at Apple, John Skole is CEO, Jobs has not returned to Apple; I am in SGI, Edward. McLraken is CEO, Jim. Clark has also left to create a net view. So in these three people, I only had a close contact with Bill. Gates.
Jobs and I have the only personal contact, but it is when I am going to build a Microsoft China Institute. He called this news, so he called to my home. "Mrs. said," Be sure to go home and call me, my name is Steve Jobs. "After I got home, my wife said to me. There is a person named Steve called you, will not be the Steve Jobs? I can't say it, I don't know him again. As a result, I called his study. He said, why didn't you leave the SGI? Apple people think of you back.
I said, I have to go to Microsoft. The first reason is that I think it has been in the software industry for so long, and the technology has a lot of achievements, but there is very little thing, because there is no company successful success. Product, you can make my thoughts really affect many users, this is what I expect. Second, as a Chinese, I also hope to help China to do something, I have returned China when I have returned China, and I also saw the growth of China's economy and technology, especially when I returned to China, I have a lot of students. It is especially interesting. In Microsoft, you can return to China, and there are many opportunities to be with students, so I don't have it.
Q: Apple, SGI and Microsoft have their own very unique corporate culture and character, what different feelings do you have in these three companies?
A: The biggest difference between the three companies is Bill Gates. In fact, I am very lucky, John Scola and Edward. Macraken is a very good CEO, but in these two companies, their influence on the company is limited, although they have been universal respect, but the same Will encounter some problems. For example, they may say that we have to do A. The senior vice president thinks that a is not very good, it will turn into B, and the president will turn into C, the director will turn it off again to D Finally, the programmer is there, and what makes it may not be so much.
In these two companies, there is no such culture, that is, we respect someone to some point, he is basically right, we should do it according to his method, and when you don't agree with him, We also have enough courage to tell him.
There is also a problem that even John and Edward are a very successful CEO, there is always someone to criticize them behind them. This is not only in Apple and SGI, and each company has this situation. But in Microsoft, everyone is very respected and convincing, the reason is that history proves that his decision is basically right. When he is wrong, he will admit it quickly, then correct it.
Q: For example, he almost did not catch the Internet tide.
A: Yes, late. But when he found this problem, it quickly turned its overall. At that time, I was not in Microsoft, I heard such a story: One day, Bill said, the following programs have been canceled, starting your hard drive tomorrow, I will start IE (Internet browser), do IIS (Network Server Software). The following people did not say "You Bill. Gates did not understand, I didn't do it", and no one has promised to give up the original work, but private but quietly. Q: Is that, is it, the company's leadership must be a tough person?
A: The company's leaders always have this responsibility, he wants to make directional changes. But Bill Gates is a person and a considerable change in the past, and he is increasingly put some of the people under the following. In the past, if he had an opinion in something, everyone will listen, and his opinions are basically right, there is no problem; but now, he began to consider if he helped me. Li Kai Fu made a decision, which may make me feel that there is no sufficient trust, and I get his trust may be more important than helping me make a decision. From his relationship between him and Steve Balmmer, you can see these subtle changes. When I met, I met what questions, everyone would look at Bill; later, everyone looked at Bill, Bill did not speak: "You ask Steve." In fact, he is very strong to express his opinion, but he Don't say it, because the company's new CEO is Balmer.
Few leaders with the high-tech circles can do it again and again, and they are not so full, they can be very modest, they can be very brave. Even once at the meeting, Bill Gates's assistant said that "you are wrong" in the public, Bill said, "No, I am right", the assistant says "You are wrong, because ...", then Bill Say "Ah, right, you are right, I am wrong." This is a very ordinary communication.
I want to have this situation in a lot of companies, in any country, it is difficult to have this situation: a company leader, such as the employee's love, such a respect; he did it, but when he failed When he was courageously, he dared to debate him when he did not agree with him. So a person, don't say it is in the software industry, even if it is throughout the business world, I think it is very few. So I said that John and Edward are very excellent managers, but they are far less than Bill in this regard.
Seek influence
Q: Technology R & D staff and marketers themselves constitute a pair of contradictions, and they have gaps and disagreements among them. Microsoft's values have changed from "Passion on technology" to "passion for customers useful". A researcher at Microsoft Research Institute means that this means a constraint?
A: The Institute should have no such constraints. But if you have to prove that this work is useful before you do everything, it is a constraint. If I am still in the institute, although I am also convinced that the purpose of doing technology is for the user, but I will not say, I am doing a job, when I can't prove that it is useful to the user, I can't do it. . However, in the product sector, the binding will be more, and the technical components made will be relatively small, but the help of the user may be relatively large. This is also the difference in the products and research departments.
Q: IBM and Xerox are two very respectful companies because they have made a lot of practical research. In these studies, they have invested a lot of energy, contributing a lot of episodes. . In the basic research, Microsoft started the time. In fact, until 1990, Microsoft's Chief Technology Officer Naison. Milword gives Bill. Gates referred to the importance of establishing research institutions, Microsoft Research Institute Established. But Microsoft itself is a company-oriented company, so I am thinking of IBM and Xerox, do you think Microsoft Institutes have different? A: I know much about these two companies. I just have a deep understanding of the past. In the 1970s to the 1980s, it was the heyday of Xerox Parc. During this period, they invented Ethernet, graphical user interface, etc. If the Microsoft Research Institute is compared with this period, the Microsoft Research Institute is more approved, or it can be said to be more practical.
In Microsoft Research, there is almost no technical technology for products within ten years. Only five or six people I can think of is to see it for ten years. But when I was at the Institute, I didn't feel this is a big bond. Relatively, if you do research in the event of a complete limit, you often make many things that are useless, or there is also a lot of things, but it is useless. So I think there is still such a frame. Although the company has enough funds to support research, this is not to say that we will do some work in the public for academics. It should be said that everyone comes from Microsoft Research Institutes, if they make results, this results can be used for millions, tens of millions of people, at least why I came to Microsoft's reasons.
For me, make a very famous study, let everyone read my paper, and its attraction can be used more people than my research results. The best situation is of course the highest and deep technology, but also has the greatest influence. But if the two are uncomfortable, then I would rather choose the influence and high-profile technology bit.
Q: From this perspective, you leave Apple and SGI or because they are not big enough.
A: It should be said because there are many problems. Apple and SGI also have their own ambitions, hoping to expand their market, but they all encountered some problems, so they did not successfully do their careers. When I joined these companies, I was not only satisfied with the status quo. I was very happy to sell thousands of software. I also hope that the company will grow up with my ideas, and provide services for more users. But unfortunately, these companies have not realized my expectations. In addition to the user group, the bigger problem I have encountered is that I am doing software, Apple is a hardware company, and they measures a person's success or unsuccessful, it is to see that this person can promote their hardware sales. . Software made in this case often is not what we most do most, or best for users. In these companies, the binding is much more than in Microsoft. Moreover, Microsoft has a lot of products, you have made a technology, saying that it is only helpful for one product, but also help other products.
.NET? Microsoft T-car
Q: You are now the person in charge of the Microsoft's natural interface department, studied the natural communication and communication between human machines. For you, establish communication between people and machines, where is the great place? Where is it most exciting, where is the most exciting place?
A: We hope that the communication between people and the machine can be easily, convenient, and no need to learn like people and people, and can be used on any device. The previous human-machine interface requires people to learn every step to achieve their expectations. For example, I have to buy a few books as a birthday gift to my mother. I may have to make four or more points on the Internet, then print a lot of information, and finally the book bought it may take half an hour. If we can make a system, just tell the computer what you want to do, the remaining things will be handed over to the computer, let the half an hour of human-machine interface turn to ten seconds, we will help people save The most important resource-time, liberate people from a complicated work. Q: At the beginning of the 20th century, Henry. Focure land should be developed at the time that the T-car is not optimistic. As a result, the T-car has influenced the life of everyone and almost changed the society of the United States. Does Microsoft have such a particular exciting, can indicate a new era? Or do you think that Microsoft wants what is your own T-car?
A:. "Net" is the greatest product of Microsoft. Microsoft is one of the earliest advocates of web services (Web Service, ready to serve all software on the background server for desktop users). Today, most people can accept online services, but if you do a user survey three years ago, there will be no user to say that he needs network services.
After the ".NET" final success, it is not only its architecture, tool, and network service to succeed. The user interface built on it will save users more efficiently, more efficiently. These things are not very suspended, or it is difficult to understand. This is like introducing Windows in 1982. You give him a mouse drag and drop menu. He will not understand that you will feel that you have a little truth.
The T-car is a year-round effort, a moment of success, but the software may not be the case. Now give people a natural interface, some people have already understood, but only 20% of people can see its influence on the future, 50% of people may have some people can understand, and they may have every five years. Used, people will feel that the natural interface should be, there is nothing rare. Just like the graphical user interface, you may say that only 10% may understand; in 1985, some people have seen Apple's McKinushi machine, but it has been forwarded, but I haven't seen the application; In 1990, the Windows 3.1 was launched, and people were gradually accepted.
Q: Many things, even customers can not understand what they will have such a need. So, when doing these things, what do you think, who is Microsoft that promotes these things, let them advance so many years?
A: Bill Gates. Windows NT is a good example. When he just started to do Windows NT, many people didn't understand why he would compete with himself. At that time, Windows was already very successful. He had to make another set of things. It is difficult to explain why he wants two sets of Windows in development, users. But he still did it, and it was not very good at the beginning, but today Windows NT contributed almost half of income to the company.
When Bill is wrong, he will admit it soon, but when he is right, he will do it. You can't say that the company's big leap is from Bill. Gates' thoughts, but for Windows, for network services, for ".NET", for the natural user interface, you can see Bill Gates is an expected home. He supports these work. These things are not necessarily what he wants, but when he sees a good idea, he will support it until you prove that this creative is feasible or not feasible. Q: What do you know more is an executive?
A: I think it should be between the two. In the natural interface, I have a very high consensus with Bill Gates, and I can say that I have taught him a lot, and he also taught me a lot.
Source: New Generation Technology Network
