Recent quotes:
12% would spend their own money for social tools
When asked about how he and his team at Jive felt at the time of the acquisition, Zingale responded:
On the first day we were celebrating because Microsoft’s the place innovation goes to die. However, if they get it right given their size and scale and their reach and their channels and the grip they have on the corporate integration technology organizations for workforce productivity tools… Yeah, I think it could be very challenging. So you’ve got to use the strength you have, which is move as fast as you can and innovate… And, at the same time, it validates even further the fact that there’s a real market here when a company of Yammer’s size and scale gets acquired for that multiple.
When asked whether Yammer had died in the 54 weeks since the buy, Zingale replied “It’s dead.”
Google pushes new version of QuickOffice on Chrome dev channel
Ballmer has shown himself unable to get on the right side of this power curve for years. He scoffed at the iPhone when it was first introduced, saying it was too expensive, and would only be a niche player. The Zune was another example of too little too late. And now we are seeing the same slow-and-tight response to tablets.
Microsoft sees worst stock drop since 2000: welcome to the Post-PC era
The bright spot in Microsoft’s number is Office 365, which has risen to a $1.5 billion run rate,
Microsoft takes $900M write-down on Surface, but Office 365 looks strong
If Microsoft is to truly fix themselves, it’s going to be a matter of swapping in some new and innovative talent. Considering that they are spending more time in internal political battles versus building good technology, I think it’s going to take more than just a reorg.
The new Microsoft has no place for a Jonny Ive controlling user experience.
Who owns the mobile experience at Microsoft, now?
Qi Lu is now heading up Social at Microsoft, because the products he’s managing are where all the social is.
Microsoft announces reorganization
Office 365 is the fastest growing product at Microsoft
Some people think social is one product. I don’t. Social is a way of working.
The effort, said many insiders who have talked to Ballmer and other involved, is to create something that is being called “functional coherence” at the company, although it is not among Microsoft’s talking points when the restructuring will be made public. That also includes putting more wood behind fewer efforts and eliminating overlapping functions.
In theory, it also presumably means things going where they belong in product cycle. In practice, which is a lot messier, that means moving a lot of important people around.
Microsoft will rise from the ashes of Windows and Surface failures
Microsoft lays out more of the vision for Yammer