As an awkward, slightly dysfunctional teenager I decided to leave school and do a Certificate in Business Computing at the Manawatu Polytech. On the very first day back I found myself sitting in front of a Redstone XT (IBM PC clone). Our tutor gave us a 5.25 inch floppy disk and moments later there was a loud clunk the machine booted up and presented me with the A:\> prompt. The tutor walked us through basic MS-DOS command and introduced EDLIN. This was my very first interaction with a Microsoft Product.  

I had absolutely no idea how much that first step would end up influencing my career. My first job was in mainframe environment with just a handful of PC’s, and being the youngest team member, I got the job of becoming the PC expert, creating autoexec.bat and config.sys files for our standard configuration. Later, I would introduce Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups. This led to Windows NT 3.5 and SQL Server 4.21 and practically everything that Microsoft has released ever since!

Bill Gates and Paul Allen’s decision to leave Havard and seize the opportunity to create Altair BASIC back in 1975, was a pivotal moment in the history of computing.  At the time technology was evolving rapidly with the first CPU chips coming to market from companies like Intel and MOS. Companies like Apple, Commodore and Altair were using these chips to make computers accessible, and Microsoft was in the right place and time to take advantage of the opportunity. The window in time was small and time to market was critical for the future success.

From the very beginning, Microsoft was creating software for the masses. It wasn’t always the best software, but it was available, and they became masters at iterating over time and keeping software affordable. In the early 90’s the term “mindshare” was often used in the tech industry, companies like Novell dominated networking and there was agreement from most IT people that Netware was a superior product, however Microsoft’s launch of Windows NT, moved the market and Novell were unable to compete in the long term.

The 90’s are littered with companies and products that Microsoft ultimately beat through strategy including IBM OS/2, Lotus 123, Word Perfect, DBase, various Unix workstations and the mainframes! Microsoft also did a deal with Steve Jobs that helped save Apple. What a decade to work in tech that was!

The 2000’s would be a different story, with Microsoft trying unsuccessfully to enter the hardware market with Windows CE, Windows Phone and Zune and other products that eventually failed to get enough traction to compete with the iPhone and Android. They also had a massive hit with XBox.

The 2010’s would see the rise of the cloud and built the foundations of the cloud computing platforms we use today. Microsoft BPOS became Microsoft 365, Azure has grown into the incredible cloud platform that enables business and drives the AI we use in our daily lives.

Today I am lucky to have a much deeper understanding of Microsoft through the Microsoft MVP Programme and as Microsoft Regional Director. Microsoft have created an amazing ecosystem of companies and people globally. Microsoft are engaged in initiatives like AI for Good, support countless NGO’s, provide learning opportunities to upskill every person on the planet and inspiring competitions like the Imagine Cup.   

Microsoft has grown to lead not only the development of cloud and AI technology but is also a strong advocate for data sovereignty, trustworthy computing and responsible AI. While not perfect, I believe that without strong leadership from Microsoft, we wouldn’t have many of the things we take for granted. When Microsoft sets the direction, others follow.

A huge personal thank you from me, for empowering my career for over 35 years. Congratulations on 50 years Microsoft. Your journey has been inspiring to countless people. You really are the company that empowers people to do more with technology.