Google Inc (GOOG), Apple Inc. (AAPL), Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Some Nice Reads

Give and take
Henry Ford created the modern middle-class worker by offering double the going wage to Ford employees early last century. But as The Wall Street Journal points out, it was a two-way deal:

Ford company workers discovered that achieving their five-dollar day came with some rigid stipulations. To qualify for his doubled salary, the worker had to be thrifty and continent. He had to keep his home neat and his children healthy, and, if he were below the age of twenty-two, to be married.

Winner and losers
Jason Zweig cites a study on stock analysts with some unsavory findings:

1). Asked who was their most important group of clients, 81.5% of analysts picked “hedge funds.” Only 13.3% chose “retail brokerage clients.”

2). Fewer than a quarter of the analysts said that the “accuracy and timeliness” of their earnings forecasts were very important to their compensation. Only 35% said that the profitability of their stock recommendations was crucial in determining how much they earned. Their “standing in analyst rankings or broker votes,” however — essentially how they score in media surveys, “broker votes” and other annual popularity contests among clients — was very important in shaping compensation for 67% of the analysts.

Two legends
Bill Gates talks about his relationship with Steve Jobs, the differences between Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), and Jobs’ passing in a great interview. Watch it here.

Enjoy your weekend

The article 8 Fascinating Reads originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Morgan Housel.