back to article Mobile, cloud, social? Data? Nadella strings sexy words together

"We're keeping Xbox and we're going to make cuts." There, in under 10 words, is the substance of what Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella took 3,300 words to say in a message to investors, staff and the media last week. If you are a Microsoft salesman keen to answer key questions from customers such as: "What will you be doing …

  1. Andus McCoatover
    Windows

    Ex-Nokians, natch

    Nokia has always had a reputation for outsourcing its redundancies. (Accenture, anyone?)

    http://yle.fi/uutiset/bloomberg_microsoft_plans_to_let_go_ex-nokia_staff/7356293

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Micro-who?

    Microsoft is quickly becoming irrelevant. They used to shape the industry (albeit not for the better), but now they can't even keep up! Not even vaguely. This "memo" just proves it, they have absolutely no clue what they're going to do, or where the industry is heading!

    Yet again I need to re-train, because of Microsoft! Fortunately, this time it's not with any of their products. I've already wasted two decades on them.

    1. BongoJoe

      Re: Micro-who?

      I would be curious as to know where you're going and what from.

    2. BillG
      Meh

      Re: Micro-who?

      IMO Microsoft is one of those companies that has too many millionaires at the top that are no longer hungry and lack vision. The danger is that it has become a "lifestyle company" - it exists solely to support the financial lifestyles of upper management who have lost interest in making hard decisions that conflict with their tee-off times.

      We've seen it before - National Semiconductor, Digital Equipment Corporation, Pan Am... the list goes on...

  3. Khaptain Silver badge

    Cloudy vision

    Microsoft is not a one man team and Nadella has become the manager of that team. Unfortunately he might be a great engineer but not a great manager. If he can't create the spark that will ignite his teams motivation/innovation/drive then he should return to waht hwe was good at rather than remain where he is.

    Hard-working and bright does not make you an shining light.

    Microsoft appear to be in a very "cloudy" situation, and I don't mean the asure kind, their ideas are vague, they lack direction and appear to be lost.....

    On saying that though, I wouldn't like to be in Nadella's position, when you start of in Pole Position you have to fight three times harder to remain there.

  4. Tom 35

    They want a big pile of cash like Apple

    So if they make expensive locked down devices they will get a big pile of cash right?

    1. Andy Watt

      Re: They want a big pile of cash like Apple

      Seriously? You're going there?

  5. nkuk

    "Cloud first, mobile first" isn't a vision, its a reaction to past and current trends.

    1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

      Cloud first, mobile first

      Customer last.

      That absolutely is a vision. Just not one customers are particularly enamored of.

  6. TheOtherHobbes

    >weirdly disembodied and robotic

    Nadella in a nutshell.

    But... I wouldn't write off MS yet. There's actual AI happening in the MS labs, and some of it is the most interesting technology I've ever seen from MS.

    But MS needs to get over Windows and Office to do something with it.

    As a mobiles-with-AI corp, MS might have a future. But while it's Spawn-of-Gates Mk III, the long decline will continue.

    1. Charles Manning

      Stuff in their labs

      They might have some AI stuff in their labs, but do they know how to get anything to market any more?

      MS don't need more distractions either. They need to figure out what is important, then shed the rest and refocus their energy on doing the important stuff right.

      What MS need is a Jobsian reformation, but that can't happen with Nadella or the way MS is run.

      Jobs had been thrown out. He was full of resentment and when he came back he was not afraid to put in the knife - hard. He was blunt.

      Nadella, like Ballmer, is a big Gates fan and friend. Thus we see no knife come out. Instead we just see the same basic "plan" wrapped in different verbiage.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'd rather prefer watching Balmer

    running around on a stage in delirium, than read 3300 words of propaganda.

  8. Andy Watt

    Horrific... I fear for their future.

    It's another slow-motion corporate death, Jim.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Great, Nadella is yet another 'yes' man...

    I like the 'Activist' shareholder's take on things. There's such ill will towards MS by the consumer it makes sense to split the company. After all corporate is still locked-in and corporate is MS' only real fan base.... Whereas the consumer feels betrayed by Microsoft, and none of their offerings are worth a sh*t anyway.,,, They're becoming quickly irrelevant.... The Xbox and Win8 were massive own goals... Even if Win9 is more familiar, it will be toxic from embedded 'Trust Computing'... (Because this is all Microsoft knows)

    1. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

      Re: Great, Nadella is yet another 'yes' man...

      Give the man a cookie, he's on to something here!

  10. channel extended
    Meh

    The best keyword's are.......

    Vendor lock.

    That was MS's past but cannot be the future because of - Google,Apple,Linux,NSA,Metro,Surface - pick any two. Face it Windows(Microsoft) was born from DOS and the corporate meme hasn't changed.

    Lock Down Users - Installation Keys. DOS exploded in use because it was easy to steal. Yes stealing is bad, but it meant an explosive growth curve.

    Lock Out Others - Microsoft Security Services and hidden API's. if I have to buy a key, then that is an extra cost to pass on. API's used by MS for Office are not all available for other programers.

    Lock In Progress - This is the extend part. Example Kerbos: Extensions locked into MS products standard Kerbos implimation changed, only MS word it is safe with no back doors.

    The future will be slow or no growth. This is not always a bad thing ex: hard wood trees grow slowly when compared to soft woods. AKA Oak is stronger and longer lasting than pine.

    1. Peter2 Silver badge

      Re: The best keyword's are.......

      The best keywords are "STILL NO COMPETITION TO OFFICE 2000". That is the future of Microsoft.

      There is a desperate, crying need for a program with the functionality of Outlook 2000. This should not be particularly hard.

      Implement delegation for a PA to read the bosses emails and book an appointment in his calendar in a competing email program and outlook can go. If outlook goes, then the rest of office can go with it. If office goes then you don't need windows.

      The year of linux on the desktop will be the year after somebody programs basic features that tens of millions of workers who have to work together every day need rather than the 20th pretty desktop. However, people like playing with the sexy stuff and not with the boring stuff everybody needs. Fair one, but lack of a pretty desktop is not the reason why every business is still on windows.

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