Chapter 2. The Source of Momentum

The Day Gary Kildall Went Flying

One fateful week in August 1980, two different leaders from similar companies in similar sectors faced the same singularly important opportunity. The decisions they made that week set the direction their companies took and, indeed, each man’s entire future success. One company began to build a momentum that would see it become one of the world’s largest corporations, while the other faltered, stumbled, and failed to fulfill its promise. It was the end of one era and the beginning of another.

The first leader was named Gary Kildall. On the day he was due to meet a delegation from another company about a possible new business deal, he decided to go flying in his plane instead. ...

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