Microsoft sent “wrong man” to Massachusetts hearing

In the wake of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ decision effectively to ditch Microsoft’s Office suite, information is beginning to emerge about what went wrong for the company.

Over at ZDNet, David Berlind believes Microsoft sent the wrong man to the hearing. Someone who could take instant decisions, like Bill Gates or Steve Ballmer, was called for, he writes :

Either Microsoft thought the state was bluffing, or it gravely miscalculated when it didn’t send one of its top executives ~ either Steve Ballmer or Bill Gates (someone who could make a decision on the spot) ~ to that last hearing on Sept. 16, 2005. The reason I say “gravely” is that there is much more at stake for Microsoft than it may realize. Not only does the ODF decision extend to any of the state’s 80,000 employees who may need access to an Office-like productivity solution, but also to nearly everyone whose business with the state may involve the exchange of electronic documents.

But the truth is, writes Berlind, “that it was fait accompli. Had Microsoft come to play ball instead of digging its heals in as it did, the outcome might have been very different. Had I been a member of Gates and Ballmer’s executive team, I would have advised them to be at this meeting.”