Season 2 · Episode 7
Season 2, Episode 7: PowerPoint
Acquired · Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal
May 4, 20181h 21m
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (pscrb.fm) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
Acquired returns with a classic, delving into Microsoft’s first acquisition ever: Forethought Inc, the makers of PowerPoint. Hate it or love it, you can’t deny the combined companies’ impact: by the early 90’s PowerPoint had transformed the way businesses, educators and governments communicate, ensuring job security for pointy-haired Dilbert bosses everywhere.
Sponsors:
- WorkOS: https://bit.ly/workos25
- Intapp: https://bit.ly/intappceleste
- Sentry: https://bit.ly/acquiredsentry
- Anthropic: https://bit.ly/acquiredclaude25
More Acquired!
- Get email updates with hints on next episode and follow-ups from recent episodes
- Join the Slack
- Subscribe to ACQ2
- Merch Store!
© Copyright 2015-2025 ACQ, LLC
Links:
- Robert Gaskins’ definitive history of building PowerPoint: Sweating Bullets
- Absolute Powerpoint by Ian Parker
Carve Outs:
Topics
technologyofficeBusinessmicrosoftMAAppleinvestmentventurecapitalPowerPointacquisitionsvcStartUps