In the highly nuanced Kabuki of corporate relationships, no actor's moves are as closely watched as those of Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates. So, speculation has been swirling since Siebel Systems announced last month that Gates would be speaking at its user conference next week. Both companies report earnings on Thursday. The rumor mill churned out theories ranging from supposed Microsoft plans to buy Siebel to speculation that Siebel will start selling Microsoft customer-relationship management products.
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