“RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser just proved how very bright folks sometimes wind up making the dumbest decisions. In a private e-mail sent last week to Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs, Glaser proposed a tactical alliance between the two companies in the digital music business against Microsoft. And oh, by the way, he added, RealNetworks sees “very interesting opportunities” that may compel it to switch support to Microsoft’s Windows Media audio-video format, if Apple refuses to play ball,” Charles Cooper writes for CNET. “The translation? Glaser to Jobs: Do a deal or else.”
“After Jobs and his entourage had a good chuckle and a restful weekend, they promptly leaked the contents of the proposal to The New York Times,” Cooper writes. “The translation? Jobs to Glaser: Buzz off.”
Cooper writes, “Apple couldn’t care less about a promise from RealNetworks to rejigger its RealPlayer jukebox so as to support the iPod. RealNetworks attributes its declining share of the media-streaming business to illegal competition from Microsoft. The courts will decide that one. I long ago deleted RealPlayer from my desktop, because I found it to be an annoying, inferior product. Lots of other people apparently feel the same way.”
“Glaser also trusted Jobs to remain discreet about the offer. What was he thinking? Putting a revolver on the table while you offer terms may work in Tony Soprano’s world–but not in Silicon Valley. In Jobs, Glaser faces an executive with an ego even bigger than his own… Worse, Glaser’s gun had no bullets,” Cooper writes. “Glaser, a former Microsoft executive, should have known better. Apparently, you can take the boy out of Microsoft, but you can’t take Microsoft out of the boy.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Wonderful article. Highly recommended. For those wondering, the origin of the expression “go pound sand” is from a longer expression, not to know (have enough sense to) pound sand down a rathole. Filling rat holes with sand is menial work, and telling someone to pound sand down a hole is like telling them to go fly a kite. The expression dates to at least 1912 and is common in the midwestern United States. wordorigins.org