American History 1988
Chapter 261 - 253: The Fraudster

Chapter 261: Chapter 253: The Fraudster

"Mr. Gates..." A crestfallen Teresa presently lacked even the courage to tell Gates about the affair between Intuit and Byte Company.

"Teresa, what happened?" Gates put aside the pride in his heart, and his voice involuntarily deepened.

"Perhaps you should look at this message..." Teresa took a deep breath and then handed the newspaper to Gates.

Her voice was very soft, as if the anxious heartbeat in her chest might overshadow it.

Gates glanced at her, then took the newspaper.

After a quick scan, Gates’s eyes suddenly widened.

"Byte and Intuit have reached a strategic partnership?!"

The unintentionally raised voice made Teresa’s body shudder subconsciously.

"We just got this news..."

However, Gates was too preoccupied to listen to her; sensing trouble, he quickly flipped through the newspaper in his hands.

When he saw that the two companies had not only reached cooperation but were even prepared to develop office financial software and collaborate on channels, Gates finally erupted.

"Damn that Dean! He’s tricked me!"

An angry Gates flung the newspaper furiously onto the desk.

Now it all made sense, that phone call a few days ago.

Just recently, Gates had been wondering why Dean would show interest in Microsoft’s personal financial software.

It turned out he had been lying in wait, ready to strike at Microsoft Money!

And he, Gates, who prided himself on supreme intelligence, had actually personally divulged Microsoft’s information to this competitor!

"Damn those Irish, all fraudsters!" The more he thought, the angrier Gates became, his voice trembling slightly as he ranted aloud.

Why was Byte everywhere? He hadn’t heard of any such movement from them.

No one at Microsoft had anticipated this possibility, including Gates, especially since Byte had just released the Wortitle software.

By normal business logic, they should be busy fixing the bugs in Wortitle.

But this was where Byte Company differed from Microsoft; their business philosophies were completely opposite.

Microsoft’s first product was "vaporware," whereas Byte’s first product would certainly ensure smooth operation of core features.

Microsoft would start enhancing various functions and addressing customer feedback in the second version.

But Byte Company, in their second version, would only add new features.

Of course, this included fixing bugs, but that wasn’t the focus.

Due to differences in business philosophy, Gates had made a certain misjudgment about Byte Company.

He had let down his guard against Dean, and so he had answered his questions too readily.

After all, Microsoft was planning to start promoting Microsoft Money; there was nothing to hide.

Even if Byte Company had plans, they couldn’t act so swiftly.

Little did he know Dean didn’t follow the beaten path; he struck at Microsoft unexpectedly through Intuit.

As Gates’s voice shook, so did Teresa’s body; she knew a tempest was coming.

She braced herself for this, but tragically, this wasn’t even the worst news yet.

In her hand, she held another newspaper, or rather, a newspaper containing an advertisement...

"Teresa, tell me! Our Microsoft Money is ready for release, right?" Gates slowly calmed down after venting his frustration.

Now was not the time to fret over the swindler Dean; Gates needed to counterattack!

Although he had been outmaneuvered, Microsoft was not without the ability to fight back.

They had their cards to play, so long as they provided enough resources to Microsoft Money.

Gates believed that Intuit’s Quicken would ultimately be squeezed out of the market by them.

But speed was of the essence! Otherwise, once Byte Company’s channels and Intuit’s integration were complete, the situation would be quite different.

Hearing Gates concern about the progress of Microsoft Money’s development, Teresa managed to muster a strained smile.

"Mr. Gates, Microsoft Money has already been developed, but..."

"Then get Steve to arrange its release immediately! I want to see Microsoft Money on the market within a week!"

Gates issued the command, waving his hands, even before Teresa could finish speaking.

"We’re already a few days late; it might be a fatal mistake, but we absolutely can’t let Byte beat us to the punch!"

"Actually, they’ve already started to move..." Finally, Teresa mustered the courage to interrupt Gates.

"What?!" Gates shot his gaze upward quickly.

"Byte Company has already begun promoting Quicken through all channels; their actions have been earlier than the timelines reported in the newspapers."

Teresa unfolded the other newspaper in her hand and laid it on Gates’s desk.

"Quicken! Your best financial assistant! Bookkeeping, expense tracking, stock settlements... it can do it all!

Just one phone call, and within 48 hours! We’ll come to your door to install and provide intimate guidance!"

Gates stared at the newspaper blankly, breathing heavily.

His glasses even fogged up from his intense anger.

"F*ck you, Dean!"

Finally, utterly defenseless, Gates couldn’t help but curse.

He grabbed the newspaper from the desk, rigorously crumpled it, then hurled it forcefully into the trash can.

Still unsatisfied, he even furiously swept everything off the desk onto the floor.

That swindler Dean—he had once again outpaced him.

They had even completed stocking the channels and offered 48-hour home delivery services?

Gates knew Microsoft was falling behind; even if they were fully prepared, Microsoft couldn’t promise door-to-door service within 48 hours.

Because of their vast and diverse user base, Microsoft couldn’t offer such after-sales support to ordinary consumers.