EightBlack.

This is going to be interesting.

10 years ago, if you suggested Microsoft was anything but a software company, you’d have been certified by the trade press.

Now you might think differently.

A lot of people are very sceptical about whether or not Microsoft will make it long term in the area of search. I’m not so sure and I certainly wouldn’t write the Redmond company off just yet.

What Microsoft have is 30+ years of experience and traction in the market, they are clearly the dominant player in office related and desktop software and the asset they have in MSN and Hotmail is enormous in terms of “eyeball” reach.

We’ve been working with the MSN folks here in Australia and the head of search, Anthony Wolf, is one of the most determined and street smart guys I’ve met in a long while.

I also think some of the arrogance that Microsoft once displayed has all but disappeared. Guys like Anthony freely admit that they are behind the eight ball so to speak in the area of search.

Google does keep a lot of Microsofters awake at night - and with fair reason.

But Microsoft has deep pockets, it still has the fierce determination and drive of the world’s richest man and it has an absolute arsenal of product and customers which it can leverage.

It’s a bit like an aircraft carrier. It’s a bitch of a thing to turn, but when it does, and when it releases its payload, the results can be devastating.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, September 30th, 2006 at 7:06 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.