Microsoft Resists Pressure to Shed Bing and Xbox
December 11, 2013
In an article that covers the argument against such a move, we learn that Microsoft is feeling pressure from some shareholders to sell off a couple prominent divisions. GeekWire reports, “In Final Shareholder Speech, Ballmer Defends Bing and Xbox as Key Parts of Microsoft.”
At the company’s recent shareholder meeting, outgoing CEO Steve Ballmer discussed those products:
“While he didn’t directly address calls for the company to spin off its Xbox and Bing businesses, he called out those divisions as key parts of Microsoft’s broader vision. Referring to the new Xbox One, he cited the integration of products including Bing and SkyDrive as examples of the unified strategy that is bringing together the company’s various devices and services. Microsoft this morning released new details about how Bing will integrate with Xbox One for natural language search in the new console. Xbox One is ‘a reflection of what is possible when a company, our company, is unified under a common vision,’ Ballmer said. He also noted that Bing is key to helping test and improve the company’s Windows Azure service.”
It is no surprise these days to hear a tech CEO sing the praises of product integration. It is also not surprising that Ballmer celebrates the recent deal to acquire Nokia‘s mobile division. Some shareholders expressed concern about making such a large investment, especially in the face of flat share prices. In response, Ballmer cited the need to occasionally take risks, focusing on long-term growth over short-term profits. Whether shareholders were moved by this delayed-gratification logic is not revealed in the article.
Cynthia Murrell, December 11, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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