Yeah, I&#x27;m not sure how big a role Cutler leaving played.<p>DEC (and the other minicomputer makers) generally missed the shift from vertical integration to horizontal integration but what exactly that should have meant for the strategy of a company like DEC is a complicated question. With 20-20 hindsight, there are a number of paths they could have followed although many seem counter to the DNA of a company like DEC such as becoming a Dell.<p>As an interim step, they could probably have invested more in Unix early-on. Ken Olsen&#x27;s &quot;Unix is snake oil&quot; quote seems to be as lacking in context as his quote about computers in the home. [1]<p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;sinix.org&#x2F;blog&#x2F;?p=16" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;sinix.org&#x2F;blog&#x2F;?p=16</a>