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May 30 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
This week marks the 15th anniversary of the only joint onstage interview by computer pioneers and rivals Steve Jobs and ⁦@BillGates⁩. It was done at the ⁦@allthingsd⁩ conference by me and ⁦@karaswisher⁩, and was the highlight of our onstage interviewing career.
Here’s another view:
Here’s a formal portrait they reluctantly allowed a @Kodak photographer to take:
And here’s the Beatles line from their song “Two of Us” that Steve Jobs used to end the interview: “You and I have memories
longer than the road that stretches out ahead.”

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More from @waltmossberg

Walt Mossberg Profile picture
Aug 8, 2021
1/ Twenty-four years ago today: the @nytimes gave front page play to the news that @Microsoft had bought $150 million in non-voting stock to help the struggling @Apple.
2/ There are a lot of myths about this transaction, which I discussed in detail at the time with both CEOs. For one thing, Microsoft got a patent cross-licensing pact out of the deal. For another, it got to be able to tell the government and others that it had competition.
3/ There was also a promise to keep making Office for the Mac. Apple needed this, but Bill Gates told me more than once that, in those days, Microsoft made more profit from each copy of Mac Office than from each copy of Windows Office. So it wasn’t a sacrifice.
Read 4 tweets
Walt Mossberg Profile picture
Jul 12, 2020
1/ I predict there will be a huge demand for tutors in the fall. Schools that reopen will be unable to do their jobs well, many parents will decline to send kids, teachers will quit. Those who can afford it will hire in-person tutors. Others will hire virtual tutors.
2/ Some families will, in effect, create ad hoc mini-schools for 10 or fewer kids staffed by licensed teachers who quit or retire.
3/ Public and even big private schools will be weakened. States will have to figure out how to recognize and evaluate ad hoc schools. There will be court cases. Some ad hoc schools will be better than regular schools. Others worse. Others will teach bigotry, racism & bogus stuff.
Read 5 tweets
Walt Mossberg Profile picture
Jul 5, 2020
I strongly recommend that, whatever your politics, you watch the marvelous portrayal of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in the @HBO mini-series “John Adams”. It’s available on HBO, HBO Max and every other version of HBO. It’s episode 2. hbo.com/john-adams/epi…
Like my friend @patricknward, I watch this 90-minute portrayal every July 4. It is based on real history, not myth, and it shows just how difficult, dangerous, world-changing, and breathtaking the act of American independence was.
I think that @HBO should make this one episode of this one 2008 mini-series free for a week or so around every July 4.
Read 4 tweets
Walt Mossberg Profile picture
Jun 17, 2020
1/ I’m not weighing in on the growing controversy about the complex rules applied to developers in @Apple’s App Store. Just based on what I’ve read, I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple is forced to change some of them. But I want to make three points that people seem to forget.
2/ First, in free markets, any merchant is free to receive a fee or share of the price of the goods it distributes to consumers. This is not a “tax”. You’re free to think 30% is too much to sell your app on a phone with about a 10% global share, but it’s not a “tax”.
3/ Second, there’s a history to this. Before the App Store, carriers controlled which apps would make it onto phones, and often took most of the revenue - 50%, 70%, more. I was there when Steve Jobs announced Apple would take only 30% and a room full of developers cheered.
Read 4 tweets
Walt Mossberg Profile picture
Apr 12, 2020
1/ I wrote tech reviews for 27 years, so I know that civil criticism of reviews is fair. But it’s aggravating when the arrogant or ignorant claim a tech product isn’t up to “real work” or ”serious work” when what they mean is it’s not the right tool for *their* particular work.
2/ Every day, in the U.S. alone, tens of millions of people use consumer tech products like MacBook Airs, Chromebooks, iPads, and smartphones to do real work at real businesses and generate real money for themselves and their employers. Even if the IT department resisted it.
3/ Every day, huge amounts of “real” work is done on common, widely available “consumer” software like Google Docs & iMessage instead of older standbys or custom apps written for a company or industry. And there are people who either hate this trend or just don’t know better.
Read 4 tweets
Walt Mossberg Profile picture
Feb 4, 2020
1/ This is an excellent thread about ageism (h/t @kvox). Both tech and tech journalism are overly youth-oriented. Yet I started my career as a tech columnist at the age of 44. I co-founded the AllThingsD conferences with @karaswisher at the age of 56. I co-founded @Recode at 66.
2/ I mostly got along well with the much younger tech engineers, product managers and CEOs I dealt with (except for the usual resentment at poor reviews). And I achieved serious status in my field. But I’m 100% sure there was ageism behind my back.
3/ A key for me was partnering with people both younger and female. First, @karaswisher. Then, my even younger writing partner, @KatieBoehret. Later, folks like @LaurenGoode. I listened to them and included them in meetings and they gave me fresh and different perspectives.
Read 4 tweets

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