POLL
Wall Street Journal online poll results for the question: "Overall, has Wal-Mart been good or bad for the American economy?"
Good 65%
Bad 35%
SUBPRIME BACKLASH
Merrill Lynch & Co., which is expected later this month to join other investment banks reporting steep losses on assets linked to risky subprime mortgages, this week began a housecleaning of executives who have saddled the firm with an outsize subprime exposure.
GATES SAID IT
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates answered questions this week, as the company introduced an updated Zune music player. Part of the interview with USA Today follows:
• As you head off to your next career, how do you react to critics who say Microsoft has become too big, too bureaucratic, too political, too slow to innovate?
"One thing I've always loved about the culture at Microsoft is there is nobody who is tougher on us, in terms of what we need to learn and do better, than the people in the company itself. You can walk down these halls and they'll tell you we need to do usability better, push this or that frontier."
• What shape will Microsoft be in when you leave?
"We're stronger today than we've ever been as a company. Our worldwide breadth, the success of our products, our sales, our profitability, our balance sheet and - perhaps most important - the depth of talent is greater than it has ever been."
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