I've been reading the AutoDesk Files, the gathered documents from AutoDesk's early years. Fascinating reading, and it's nice to know that things never change:

The game has changed. In 1977 this business was fun--the sellers and buyers were hotshot techies like ourselves, everybody spoke the same language and knew what was going on, and technical excellence was recognised and rewarded. Today, the microcomputer industry is run by middle manager types who know far more about P/L statements than they do RAM organization. They are the people who determine whether you succeed or fail, and their evaluations are seldom based on technical qualities. Hence, the first thing any venture in this field has to be is businesslike.