We are going to cut off their air supply
Bill Gates — CEO, Microsoft Corporation, Public Press Conference & DOJ Deposition
“We integrate Internet Explorer into Windows purely for the convenience of our customers. Consumers benefit from free, innovative software seamlessly connected to the operating system.”
Bill Gates — CEO, Microsoft Corporation, Internal Executive Strategy Memo
“We are going to cut off their air supply. Everything they are selling, we are going to give away for free until they suffocate and can no longer fund development.”
The Split:Gates defended bundling Internet Explorer into Windows as customer convenience. In private executive strategy memos, the bundling was an explicit asphyxiation tactic: giving away the browser for free to cut off Netscape’s financial air supply.
Free features bundled into a monopoly operating system are rarely generous gifts; they are designed to deprive competitors of revenue oxygen.