The Bottom Line

If they have a contest as to who is the best negotiator in the industry, I’ll withdraw to Seymour’s fine abilities. Seymour is a master. And I was just a poor child.

–Bill Gates

Seymour Rubinstein has said publicly that he left IMSAI to establish a software firm. But with his sharp business sense, Rubinstein must have seen the financial foundation dissolving under the house of IMSAI. More important, however, he chose to bring his business skills to a software industry characterized by haphazard marketing.

Creating a Consumer Market for Software

The lack of business expertise among its executives was holding back the software industry, Rubinstein felt. He decided that his firm would not sell to manufacturers, as Gary Kildall, ...

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