As a follow up to my previous post concerning automotive supplier abuse, I thought you ought to know the alternative.
The Microsoft XBox 360 was supposed to be a hot item over the holidays, but Microsoft has had trouble meeting demand. The problem is in getting critical parts. The electronics industry media and the Silicon Valley journalists are hot to get the details, and to drag some supplier though the mud. Microsoft's public announcement on the matter?
"We have more than 200 suppliers and I'm not going to point the finger at any one of them," says Peter Moore, head of Microsoft's game division. While the vultures in the press and Wall Street are circling, looking for the blood of whoever is causing Microsoft to lose the chance to score big in the video game business, Microsoft tells 'em to not worry about it, and won't sell out one of their partners.
That, to me, shows a level of class the execs in Detroit cannot imagine. And I think it has a lot to do with why Microsoft makes money, and Ford and Firestone do not.