How Microsoft Excel Conquered Corporate America

Odd Lots

Bloomberg

News, Investing, Business, News Commentary, Business News

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 7 December 2025

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Excel. If you work in corporate America, that word either inspires laser-focused productivity or pure dread. Over the last 40 years, the spreadsheet software has become synonymous with the best — and worst — of late-stage capitalism. It’s seeped into popular culture and, along the way, made Microsoft one of the world’s most valuable companies.But in a world of AI and new competition where Excel=Sum(39+1), can it stay on top? From the Big Take podcast, Bloomberg’s Dina Bass and Businessweek’s Max Chafkin join host Sarah Holder to track the rise and challenges ahead for one of the most ubiquitous programs around.

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0:00.0	You're being sold an AI future where you're obsolete or irrelevant.
0:04.0	That vision is wrong.
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0:12.0	American workers are our nation's greatest strength.
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0:30.3	solve, build. Palantir, making Americans irreplaceable.
0:35.3	What are the day's top stocks? The entire auto sector is higher today.
0:39.6	Which companies are posting the biggest gains and losses?
0:42.5	And why?
0:43.0	Tesla's been a stock that's been in focus.
0:44.6	Shares have really been all over the map this morning.
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0:50.7	Second biggest driver in terms of points for the S&P 500.
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1:01.6	movers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the Bloomberg Podcasts YouTube page, or anywhere else you listen.
1:08.1	Let's take a look at the sectors and how they perform tariffs, putting pressure on yet another retail name.
1:13.7	We're also watching the second day of drop in Chinese stocks. Get the latest stop news and data.
1:17.8	Backed by reporting from Bloomberg's 3,000 journalists and analysts across the globe.
1:22.8	Let's talk about some other decliner. You are seeing a little bit of a buy-the-dip mentality.
	...

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