“A few days ago I suddenly realized Microsoft was dead.” begins Paul Graham’s essay, Microsoft is Dead. Not really dead but at least no longer a threat. Sort of like the Dark Side without the Force.

It’s insightful and I agree with his points.

Yes, Microsoft is still big, still profitable, and still with deep, deep pockets. So deep that they could become a critical force again. Paul tells them how:

So if they wanted to be a contender again, this is how they could do it:

1. Buy all the good “Web 2.0” startups. They could get substantially all of them for less than they’d have to pay for Facebook.
2. Put them all in a building in Silicon Valley, surrounded by lead shielding to protect them from any contact with Redmond.

I feel safe suggesting this, because they’d never do it. Microsoft’s biggest weakness is that they still don’t realize how much they suck.

via Chr15 P1r1LL0