Some chalk Microsoft's success up to innovation and technical ability. Others attribute it to the software maker's knack of exploiting other people's inventions. Personally, I give the credit to its negotiating skills.
There are few, if any, organizations in the world today with the same prowess in drafting contracts as the Redmond, Wash.-based behemoth. Time and time again, Microsoft manages to craft cagey deals that make friends out of enemies--or that compel friends to engage in alliances they might not otherwise want to make.
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