Microsoft enacts ‘Matrix’ to belittle IBM

LAS VEGAS: Everything that has a beginning has an end -- and sometimes an unexpected parody.

In one unlikely riff on "The Matrix," Microsoft founder and Chairman Bill Gates stars as the enigmatic rebel Morpheus fighting to liberate humankind from evil computer consultants from International Business Machines Corp.

In a promotional video clip Microsoft Corp rolled out on the opening night of the Comdex information technology trade show in Las Vegas on Sunday, Gates and Chief Executive Steve Ballmer appear in a spoof of the blockbuster science-fiction franchise.

"Take the Big Blue pill and this story ends," Gates says to Ballmer, referring to a pivotal scene in the movie and also to IBM's nickname, "And armies of consultants are running around the IT world. Take the red pill and you stay in Wonderland."

Ballmer stars as Neo, the movies' messianic lead character played by Keanu Reeves, while Gates, his longtime friend, is Morpheus, his mentor and guide played by actor Laurence Fishburne.

In the video, the two are dressed in hip Matrix garb, complete with trademark sunglasses and they even re-enact the movie's famous kung-fu fight scenes.

In a reprise of the now famous scene from the 1999 movie, Gates offers Ballmer, who called himself "Steve-O" in the spoof, a Microsoft "innovation" pill which allows him to extend his consciousness -- and Microsoft's multi-billion dollar business -- beyond the perceived world.

"We've got Steve-O indoctrinated," Gates said to nervous applause from the audience.

Reuters