PodTech’s own Robert Scoble and industry veteran Dave Winer go head to head in a friendly debate on the topic of “Is Microsoft Driving Innovation
Or Playing Catch-Up With Rivals?”
I loved the quote by Dave Winer on innovation… “Reminds me of a question Bill Gates once asked me, when Windows was new, and he was trying to get software developers to create products for it (I was a Mac developer at the time). He asked how many people had asked for my product before I created it. None, of course — that’s how innovation works. You have to create things they don’t teach in school. If you can take a college class about it, it ain’t innovation.”
Great point by Dave and it should be a phrase for all entrepreneurs… In my opinion the best ideas are the ones that nobody is talking about… I have heard the phrase many times (I forget who coined it) “skate to where the puck is going to be..” I think that is the wrong approach… to me it’s more like “take the puck and skate with it..” In growing and emerging markets leadership is about experimenting, identifying opportunities, and then running (or skating) with them.
Robert spanks Dave on the Halo point and drives the Google message home. Dave admits that he hasn’t played Halo. Dave is old school and Robert represents the new school. Good debate.
Silicon Valley Technology Blog - John Furrier 
Old school? Really.
Isn’t your company called “PodTech” — and doesn’t that have something to do with podcasting?
While you and Robert were playing Halo, I was busy coming up with a business for you to camp out in.
You might want to try a little respect there JF. 🙂
Another good hockeyism…. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – The Great One
No one’s going to penalize anyone for taking 3,017 shots on goal in a game if you make 1% of them. Not endorsing sloppiness or working stupidly… No sense trying to finesse a game that only counts when the vinyls sitting in the net.
Personally, I don’t think Microsoft’s driving too much in the way of popular innovation these days (who can DRIVE innovation 100% of the time!?). That guy Mr. Scoble interviewed doing the gesture with his thumb and forefinger… that was cool… what’s it really good for at the end of the day though for me, my job and my kids? Maybe nothing… today. Tomorrow it could be huge! THAT guy’s where the puck might be… several months from now. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s getting spanked in the innovation dept. on a LOT of fronts.
Dave or should I say Rodney: thanks for inventing podcasting and RSS. Without you PodTech wouldn’t be around! Thanks. Stay tuned for more new stuff at PodTech or PTN (Pod Tech Network)
gwhiz: great comment! It was the Great One.
I’ve been using that quote, and for many companies it would help to even follow good skaters, but I like your point.
To continue the metaphor:
1. You have to be able to get the puck to take it and skate with it. Newspapers, for example, don’t have their stick on the puck yet.
2. We used to play on a pond. Very few will be able to skate out of the playing area and get other skaters to follow. I used to do that for fun. ; ) If you can do that, you’ve created your own game.
Lovely debate with respect to large companies and technological innovation and the focal point of Microsoft was interesting.
On balance although both Dave and Robert each raised good points, Dave’s arguments were the stronger with respect to technological innovation.