Recently we've been hearing that more and more. The companies being targeted usually assume they've being singled out for special attention from Microsoft, but when you add up all the reports, a different picture emerges. Microsoft is targeting almost every major tech company, all at once. This is a fairly new behavior for Microsoft, and it means the rules of competing with Redmond have changed as well. Not so many years ago, Microsoft was famous for its ability to focus on one unifying goal. The cry would go out: "Make Windows the dominant OS," or "Make Internet Explorer the dominant browser," and the company would rally around that cry. Today, the threats to Microsoft are different. The famous "Internet Services Disruption" memo written last October by Microsoft CTO Ray Ozzie is notable because it attempted to focus the company against an entire sector of the tech industry, rather than against a single competitor or product.
Cinching creates more value
I’m always worried about the Valley companies that have too much funding, too much venture capital, too much valuation. In this day of American ‘more is better’ philosophy, you might …
I thinks, I thinks, and nothing happens
Putting a book on the shelf, and flipped through to see what I underlined. Yes, I underline books. But that's why I don't use the library. I buy the book. …
Cher Marcel, no Reason to Call
It was a tough week. So I tucked myself into bed a bit early on Friday evening and finished reading Jonathan Saffron Foer's book called "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close". …
Make mine the most expensive way to expand
A colleague and friend got $30M in VC funding recently. Good times. It was more than he asked for, because the VC wanted to see fast market penetration into several …
Finding the Core Value Proposition is Key
I recently got introduced to an up-n-coming PLM (product lifecycle management) software vendor who shall remain nameless. There are several notable vendors already in the PLM space including IBM, PTC, …
Reflecting our Culture
This funky website has words that are being considered for entry into the Merriam-Webster dictionary. This month's entry has some that spark my interest: metanoia (noun) : a transformative change …
Where is this Software World Going?
I wish I had an answer for the emerging business trends in software, and how they'll play out. I can't see the horizon very well but I do have some …
Another Cisco Move
Cisco made another move to the vertical security space yesterday. They bought a company for $51M and 27 people that provides them video surveillance capabilities. This acquisition maps well to …
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