Our emphasis on strategic partnerships isn’t really new. It’s actually another example of how we have been rediscovering the soul of Microsoft. When I look at our founders, Paul Allen clearly saw the power of new computers and Bill Gates saw the power of software. Together they were able to create magic and, more importantly, democratize computing. I sometimes wonder: If Bill and Paul had not succeeded with Microsoft, what would the world look like? Would we have independent hardware manufacturers, independent software vendors, system integrators, and others? Our original business model was built on an ecosystem of partners—independent software developers like Adobe and Autodesk, video game makers like EA Sports, hardware manufacturers like Dell, HP, and Lenovo, and retailers like Best Buy. I don’t think Google would have existed but for the PC browser. Microsoft enabled Google to build a toolbar for our Internet Explorer, making Google services more visible and accessible. As a result of these and other partnerships, Microsoft and the PC helped nurture a host of billion-dollar companies—and Microsoft attracted millions of additional customers in the process.