Microsoft execs on Apple's music store

Welcome to Internal Tech Emails: internal tech industry emails that surface in public records. 🔍 If you haven’t signed up, join 25,000+ others and get the free newsletter:

---

From: Jim Allchin
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2003 4:58 PM
To: Amir Majidimehr; Chris Jones; Will Poole; David Cole
Subject: Apple's music store

1. How did they get the music companies to go along?

2. We were smoked.

jim


From: David Cole
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2003 6:30 PM
To: Jim Allchin; Amir Majidimehr; Chris Jones; Will Poole
Cc: Christopher Payne; Hadi Partovi

I am assuming they went along because of the 70 cents per song is better than zero, even for the smaller Mac market. When Apple brings this to Windows (I assume they won't make the mistake of not bring it to Windows, we will really be smoked.)

We (MSN + Windows) need to bring this kind of solution to market. We need a super nice client/services experience to do this. That will require focus and goal alignment around an end-to-end service which delivers direct user value, something we don't have today. It happened with .MAC around communications and storage, music should not have surprised us. Unless both teams align goals differently, it will continue to happen.


From: Chris Jones
Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2003 3:23 PM
To: David Cole; Jim Allchin; Amir Majidimehr; Will Poole
Cc: Christopher Payne; Hadi Partovi
Subject: RE: Apple's music store

I agree with David that there are two issues:

=> First, how do we get a great client/service experience across Windows/MSN for music that consumers love. We'll talk about that on Friday.

=> Second, how do we make sure that we deliver the client/service solutions end to end the next time there is an opportunity? Both teams on both sides wanted to have this come together, but it takes Apple to make the move for us to break through the communication issues to get something done. David, I know that you/Will have exchanged mail about this and I am excited to spend time on it. I think that there is a big opportunity in storage, IM, email, etc and we should get it done.

– Chris


[This document is from Comes v. Microsoft (2007).]

Original tweet

Further reading from Hadi Partovi: “I joined Microsoft in 2002 specifically to build a music service akin to what later launched as iTunes Music Store…” (April 16, 2023)

Previously: Bill Gates on iTunes Music Store: “Steve Jobs ability to focus in on a few things that count, get people who get user interface right and market things as revolutionary are amazing things.” (April 30, 2003)

Previously: Jim Allchin on the iPod: “Apple is just so far ahead” (November 13, 2003)

Previously: Jim Allchin emails Bill Gates: “I would buy a Mac today if I was not working at Microsoft” (January 7, 2004)

Previously: Microsoft execs on Mac OS X Tiger: "Steve copied our pitch" (June 29, 2004)

---

Mark Zuckerberg: "Our philosophy on perks"

From: Mark Zuckerberg
Date: Friday, September 18, 2009 9:40am

Our philosophy on perks is that we want to provide services that are utilitarian and help people with things they need in order to help them focus on our long-term goals. Everyone needs to eat. Everyone needs to do laundry. Everyone needs health services. Everyone needs to get to work. If we can make these parts of our lives easier, then it helps us focus on what we're trying to accomplish at work and it makes us all more productive.

We should draw the line at productivity and convenience though. We are not in the practice of providing random perks, colorful bouncy balls or access to luxury cars. Sometimes we make mistakes since we're all moving quickly, but if you see us doing any of these things you should question openly why we're wasting our money.


[This document is from Facebook’s Little Red Book (2012).]

Original tweet

Further reading: background on Facebook’s Little Red Book

Previously: "Please Resign" (September 22, 2010)

---

Steve Jobs emails Apple employees

From: Steve Jobs
To: Apple employees
Subject: Aristotle
Date: January 20, 2002, 12:47 p.m.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. – Aristotle


This document was released as part of Make Something Wonderful, a "curated collection of Steve’s speeches, interviews and correspondence"

Further reading: Make Something Wonderful

Further reading: The Story of Philosophy (1926) by historian Will Durant, who wrote the above statement as a summary/interpretation of Aristotle’s views

---

A small request: If you liked this post, consider letting us know by hitting the "Like" button. We appreciate your support of @TechEmails!