@heyshrutimishra: Microsoft invented the knowledge worker to sell more office software. That's not a conspiracy theory. That's what happe…
Summary
A reflection on how Microsoft created the 'knowledge worker' concept to sell office software like Word and Excel, and how AI is now replacing that very work, potentially freeing humans from cubicle jobs.
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Cached at: 07/07/26, 10:23 PM
Microsoft invented the knowledge worker to sell more office software.
That’s not a conspiracy theory. That’s what happened.
Bill Gates vision was simple: put a PC on every desk. Not to make computing beautiful (that was Steve Jobs). Just to sell more software.
Word. Excel. Email. People went to tutorials to learn these tools. Then companies made them the price of admission for employment.
The entire concept of an office career was a sales strategy.
Now AI is replacing the very work Microsoft created. And maybe that’s not a bad thing. Because sitting in a cubicle using Excel was never how humans were supposed to find purpose.
The most curious people have the most fulfilling lives. Not the richest. Not the smartest.
The whole knowledge economy was built to sell software. What happens when the software sells itself?
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