Multimedia behemoth; $75 billion world power; popular target for a variety of alleged evils from legal trickery to brute force marketing; or nothing more than a benevolent organization instrumental in ushering in the IT revolution, while making a bit of money along the way? This study explores what the Microsoft way actually is, drawing on company archives and interviews with it leaders - including Bill Gates himself. Business historian, Stross, explains how Microsoft has grown and puts the story into the context of American history since the days of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. Examining the corporation's business practices, the author intends to shed light on the company, finding the roots of its success not in predatory marketing techniques, but in staying eager for intelligent employees, bright ideas and responsive markets.