Hacker News Reader

>I doubt it pays to be ruthless when you have nothing to back it up.

Did the market cap of Microsoft suddenly drop while I wasn't looking or something?

Did Microsoft become an early-stage YC startup when I wasn't looking or something?

Microsoft was ruthless when they were early stage; that is how they got to where they are.

Not when they were two guys writing Altair Basic. They survived off sales to hobbyists. Being ruthless wouldn't have go them very far.