Scobleizer - Latest Comments in Microsoft’s real problem

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

jkavanagh58 — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:21:18 -0000

waaaaah

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

Nimish — Mon, 19 May 2008 00:00:03 -0000

I know I'm a little late on this but there's one thing I don't understand - why is microsoft hell-bent on competing with google in the field of search? Shouldn't they be working their butts off on building an OS that competes with Mac? Because, as I see it, if they don't come out with an awesome OS with great software soon, Apple is going to take-over. I guess they have to choose between the search-market and the OS-market now, because it really doesn't look like they can handle both...

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

mayon — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:03:13 -0000

lets the big head just be a big head.
they never learn until they fall.

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

TheTravk — Thu, 08 May 2008 07:30:05 -0000

Thank you for the good information.

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

Connor F. Feldman — Sat, 03 May 2008 14:22:54 -0000

I agree. MS buying Yahoo is extremely boring.

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

Phil Glockner — Sat, 03 May 2008 14:09:24 -0000

Regarding MS building a scalable web site. I think that MS knows how to build a web site that is almost bulletproof. Scalability isn't really the question though.. they know how to build big, and fast, and unbreakable.

I don't think they have a clue how to do narrow, focused and viral though. Like you said.. look at live spaces. How is that more compelling than WP?

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

Danny — Sat, 03 May 2008 13:35:59 -0000

Niche web sites by definition have a niche market. MS is a multi-billion dollar company. So, the first question that should, and will be asked by the CEO, the Board of Directors and the shareholders is" "If we follow the advice of the random video blogger that was unable to make his company that focused entirely on video as success, how much money is on the table to get from niche web sites? How do we monetize them?"

For example, how much profit is Facebook and Twitter taking in. How much profit is FriendFeed taking in.

MS needs to focus on what is knows, which is not building niche web sites that appeal to a miniscule market. Look at the books and look where they make their money.

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

Jean — Sat, 03 May 2008 10:44:19 -0000

Haha, good one Metrox. Nobody I know uses IE 7.... everybody uses Firefox.... There are sad times ahead for Microsoft when this starts happening. They should be using their money to hold onto the those key individuals instead of trying to pull off deals like Yahoo.

I personally hope Microsoft wake up and smell the coffee before it is too late.

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

lewisshepherd — Sat, 03 May 2008 01:38:55 -0000

Robert, your leadership analysis is forgetting Craig Mundie. To my mind he's fairly central and more future-oriented than anyone save Ozzie; that pair has a pretty savvy grasp on where MS will be in 5 years... (and where others will be falling short over that time, enough said).

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

metroxing — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:04:18 -0000

MS is built upon a foundation of arrogance (not necessarily a problem, most Wall Street companies are built on that foundation) BUT MS's problem is that all the innovators have left leaving only those who value a paycheck & people good at creating tiny kingdoms (aka: bureaucrats) ... there is nothing worse than arrogant bureaucrats. The end result are products like the Zune & Vista. Nothing really abolustely wrong with them but like the DMV, it meets the bare minimum requirement. Ms buying Yahoo is a disaster in the making because it will deplete MS's cash reserve and the cash flow margin is drying up ... what is going to happen? 50% of Yahoo's visitors are people who loathe MS so it's not like buying some middleware company where its customers are not about to spend 3 times to leave ... gee, where will people find free email or the weather? People will leave in literally 5-seconds. And MS will drive aother 40% away by insisting people sign up for a LIve account before being able to read their Yahoo email ... and a few months after all, the arrogant bureaucrats will proclaim that Yahoo is a stupid name and diluting LIVE so they will fold everything in LIVE or MSN or some other new name ... so basically MS will have spent $45 billion to buy an additional 10% visitors who are unable to leave because they don't know how. This should be the death knell for MS if they continue down this path. Ballmer knows his legacy right now is the sweaty guy who throws stuff and he wants to come off as the guy who took down Google ... he's desperate to prove his legacy ... are MS shareholders willing to bet $45 billion he's smart enough and smarter than the Google guys even though as head of MS since 2000, what has he accomplished other than being the biggest bureaucrat of all?

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

Edwin Khodabakchian — Fri, 02 May 2008 19:09:42 -0000

Robert: don't be to frustrated. It is a more effective strategy for larger companies to way to innovative solutions to mature and become mainstream before they acquire them. The core competency of larger companies is to integrate and sell. It is not sexy but it is the only way to grow by 10-20% and keep the shareholders happy. There is only one company which does not obey by this rule, Apple. Even Google ended up acquiring YouTube and Double Click. Do you know of any other one?

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

John F. Braggiotti — Fri, 02 May 2008 18:27:33 -0000

Microsoft is starting to follow the same paterns of mistakes large companies make...get into businesses they have no business getting into....I am sure most of you have noticed how the software's Microsoft has put out in the last 10 years have started to dwindle in quality....stay focused is the name of the game...the market is simply to big to do all

Gosh I love developing small companies!

www.jbraggiotti.com

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

Jonathan — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:22:20 -0000

I'm bored with Google. I use Google search for searching, email and directions. I could care less about Google reader, Google travel, google phone, Google finance, Google checkout, Google TV, YouTube, and everything else. In fact now with my new GPS I care less and less about Google maps.
I want a search engine that searchs quick and fast without a lot of links to other crap, especially paid for crap that doesn't make sense with what I'm searching
I want to be able to access my information on my home computer, my work computer (whether I boot into Linux or Vista), my smartphone, and to share information with my wife and her Mac. I want it to just work....

I'm excited for Live Mesh.... Just wish I could get invited to see if it works like I want it to

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

It's so simple — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:48:41 -0000

I wonder why Ballmer, Gates, Ozzie & co don't take advice from a video blogger who bailed out of a failed startup (He was a VP, no less)

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

burdenofcompetence — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:01:05 -0000

I did hear that Microsoft bought Farecast, which sucks because I really liked that site. But your post is spot on...SPOT ON. But you know the Microsoft culture, if it isn't a $billion it's not a real business. You're totally right, and right to say that of course they're not listening.

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

Robert Scoble — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:48:18 -0000

Yuvi: there isn't one Microsoft. It's impossible to say one person is running Microsoft. It's more like a committee. But Ballmer is clearly in charge of the money and the buy Yahoo strategy, so if there's one person now who is defining Microsoft I'd say it's him. Ray is clearly building part of the Internet strategy. Scott Guthrie another part. Steven Sinofsky the Windows part. Dean Hachamovitch another part. And I'm forgetting the folks who lead the Office team and the other billion dollar businesses at Microsoft: Xbox, phones, SQL Server, etc.

And even then, it's 70,000 people. Our idea of business run by a few people is sorta outdated. I looked at the ideas coming in from the ranks right before I left. Very few Internet ideas.

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

Robert Scoble — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:42:47 -0000

quirkyalone yeah, that's why he's trying to buy Yahoo. His search team isn't very good and, even if you close one eye and squint and say that Microsoft's relevancy is catching up to Google's then there's that problem of branding, isn't that? Yahooo!!!

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

Robert Scoble — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:40:06 -0000

SearchEngines: you're right. We shouldn't listen to people who haven't achieved anything.

Sounds just like a Microsoft manager. Sigh.

Christopher Coulter: like SearchEngines says. It's a complex world and people who see things as black and white rarely succeed. Steve Jobs excepted.

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

Dennis Hays — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:55:00 -0000

I think you found the real problem when you said, "I find that Google listens a lot more than Yahoo or Microsoft does."

Reacting to Google, et al, or building from Microsoft's viewpoint delivers a solution looking for a problem. Ballmer, from recent comments, at least publicly, regarding XP, is espousing the corporate view.

When you're attempting to satisfy investors, rather than the user community, it's a losing proposition.

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

SearchEngines — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:22:14 -0000

If you knew so much - wouldn't YOU be the one achieving, instead of telling them how to run their business.

It is easy to theoretically criticize when you are on the outside looking in - things are a lot more complex than that in the real world

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

Christopher Coulter — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:41:54 -0000

the natives are certainly restless about this deal

I guess your "good for morale" contention is now moot? ;)

Amazing how, every other post, gets invalidated every other day.

Predicting that you will start cursing Twitter in 5-6 weeks or so.

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

Dileepa P — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:12:27 -0000

Microsoft just doesn't get the web. Microsoft's way of working is to invent problems first and then try and solve them. Recent examples: The 'new' Windows Live Hotmail. I am yet to see anything as bad as that. Even more recent: Live Mesh.

Grand vision will not take them anywhere. They have to do the small things right first.

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

Matt — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:06:52 -0000

Microsoft is where cool internet ideas go to die. It's a culture issue, Microsoft is just too big to care about any individual internet idea, everything is just seen as features or marketshare to integrate into the borg. If they do end up acquiring Yahoo, if anything, it will be a boon for startups offering competing services, ie Flickr, Yahoo finance, Yahoo mail...

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

Brett Atkin — Fri, 02 May 2008 07:58:10 -0000

I think their real problem is that they can't do anything simple. I meet with a group of web developers about once a month just to exchange ideas and catch up on technology. I'm the only PC guy. There is always some talk about some new cool little app that meets a simple need. I get all excited until I see that it is Mac only. Damn. I want a freak'n Mac just so I can try out these things. Same goes for web sites. Simple always wins me over - probably why I like the apps from 37 Signals.

I've been using Word (I'd give anything to try Pages - based on what I hear the Mac guys say) more lately to improve my proposals. I can't get through a document without Word deciding to change the indent and style of my bullets or ordered lists on a consistenly random basis :-).

Their programs aren't easy to us and their web apps aren't easy to use. They can't do anything simple. Get the simple things to work correctly and then add featues/complexity.

What does it say about MS (or Yahoo or Google or...) that 3-4 guys/girls sitting in their dorm room or basement can design some of the most successful and popular web apps out there (Facebook, Digg, Flickr, Twitter)? Apparently money and PhD's aren't everything.

Everyone in MS needs to learn how to K.I.S.S. Until they do, they are going to continue to build boring apps (online and off) that just don't work well.

Re: Microsoft’s real problem

Yuvi Panda — Fri, 02 May 2008 07:15:06 -0000

Scoble, but who *is* Microsoft then? Ballmer? Ray?