Bill Gates tries to install MovieMaker (2003)
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
A leaked 2003 email shows Bill Gates struggling to download and install Movie Maker.
In a 2003 email to Jim Allchin, Bill Gates detailed a frustrating, multi-hour attempt to download Movie Maker and the Digital Plus Pack from Microsoft.com. The site was slow and timed out, the download page was confusing, and search failed to find the product. After being told to use Windows Update, Gates endured multiple slow scans, confusing dialogs, and a forced reboot. Subsequent patch installs cluttered Add/Remove Programs with cryptic entries like 'Windows XP Hotfix see Q329048.' Gates never successfully installed Movie Maker. The email chain shows executives assigning blame, with Dave Fester owning website issues and Mike Beckerman coordinating between teams. Internal emails reveal frustration with marketing's ownership of web releases and a lack of centralized ownership for the download experience.
What commenters are saying
Commenters found the email humorous and damning, highlighting Gates's frustration with his own company's product. Some contrasted Unix's composability with Windows philosophy. Others noted the email's provenance as evidence from the Comes v. Microsoft lawsuit. A subthread discussed whether the Mike Beckerman in the chain is the same person as TikTok's current VP, with comments correcting that it is not. Commenters also noted the follow-up emails show no clear action was taken to fix the systemic usability problems, even days later. Several remarked on the irony of Gates's complaints about processes that were created under his leadership.