Big Take Why We Can’t Quit Microsoft Excel
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Dec 4, 2025 
Max Chafkin, a Businessweek writer who dives into corporate tech, and Dina Bass, a Bloomberg reporter with a focus on Microsoft and AI, explore the fascinating journey of Excel in corporate America. They discuss its dual reputation as both a beloved productivity tool and a symbol of capitalist drudgery. The conversation highlights Excel's cultural impact, its half-billion users, and how Microsoft’s strategic bundling has locked it into offices. They also evaluate competitors like Google Sheets and examine the future of Excel with emerging AI technologies.
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Excel As An Esport
- Max Chafkin describes the Excel World Championship as a spreadsheet esport with commentators and live speed coding.
- He compares pro spreadsheeting to video-game speedrunning and normal Excel work people do daily.
Excel Symbolizes Corporate Drudgery
- Excel has become synonymous with both everyday office drudgery and powerful organizational control.
- Dina Bass says the program embodies the unfun parts of capitalism like cost-cutting and optimization.
Steve Ballmer's Life In Spreadsheets
- Dina Bass and Max Chafkin recount Steve Ballmer showing an elaborate personal spreadsheet he uses to organize life and work.
- Ballmer treats spreadsheets as a mental framework, tracking budgets, travel, and personal time in detail.