RE: Intuit's CEO calls for 'OS neutrality

[Mitch Stone <mstone@vc.net>]

--- From a message sent by Betts, Lynn (MCI) on 12/31/98 12:31 PM ---

>I suppose your expressions of frustration with the situation
>may be rhetorical. I sympathize with your wishes that 
>developers foster the growth of other Operating Systems by 
>developing applications for them, but it isn't reasonable
>to expect it of a company like Intuit.  Different companies 
>do have different business objectives, but Investors won't 
>let a corporation like Intuit target "mere" profitability, 
>or create products to demonstrate they have imagination.  
>As does the company I work for, they exist to maximize the
>returns of the investors.  Harris' statements are completely
>in line with that: to make the most money they can with as 
>little investment and risk as possible.

I hadn't thought of this as a rhetorical argument. You have to remember 
that Intuit has developed for the Mac for well over a decade, at times 
when the platform was even more unproven and the installed base much 
smaller -- throughout that time, a minority market share platform. I 
suspect that if they choose not to deploy their resources into multiple 
platforms at this time, it has more to do with a shortage of resources 
(in particular, skilled personnel) then any ability to manage a return on 
investment pleasing to the stockholders.

At the risk of oversimplifying, I'd also suggest some combination of the 
following: [1] efforts by Microsoft to tilt developers towards their 
platform, [2] in the case of Intuit, using a key application to hold 
Apple hostage, [3] shortsightedness and [4] a lack of imagination.

Mitch Stone
mstone@vc.net