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HOT TOPICS
- The Startup Velocity Question
- Platform as a Service
- Man and Superman
- Web 3.0 = (4C + P + VS)
- The Future: End of Capitalism
- Capitalism 2.0
IBM Buys More
Wow, IBM is on the role. Today, they bought ISS for $1.3 billion. ISS is a leading security software company. IBM’s other deals this month include MRO for $740 million; FileNet for $1.6 billion; and Webify for an undisclosed amount. I just did a piece on IBM’s acquisition spree, but since then, they have added
Newspapers, Wake Up!
Actually, Washington Post just did. Jeff Burkett writes: washingtonpost.com BlogRoll Program Launched. Jeff’s instincts are right. There are bloggers with high quality content who would be willing to share ad revenues with the Post in exchange for serious traffic. Steve Rubel applauds the effort, and offers some suggestions on how to go beyond a wimpy
Comcast Acquires YouTube?
There are a number of articles on YouTube today: TechCrunch, GigaOm, PaidContent, along with a comparison from LightReading on video sharing sites. The business model question on YouTube continues to come up, people assuming that they will eventually monetize the eyeballs. YouTube could also become the empowering engine for VideoSharing for various sites like TimeWarner,
As AOL Reinvents Itself
A smart little acquisition occured today. AOL bought an Instant Messaging service that powers, among others, MySpace. Userplane licenses its technology to more than 100,000 sites. I really like plays like this that power thousands of web sites. Photobucket is an example of a similar play, that acts as a repository for photos that can
Microsoft Is A Slow Coach, BUT …
Nial Kennedy, popular blogger and web 2.0 geek has just decided to quit Microsoft, after four months of working there. Reason? Frustration! No doubt, Microsoft has become a slow coach. They can neither hire talent, nor retain talent. But. Look at Nial Kennedy’s resume. He doesn’t stick around anywhere for very long. Certainly not long
Google Gets MySpace
Google + MySpace = ~ 1 Billion Dollar deal. MySpace already makes $350 Million a year in revenues, but a Google deal will add a great deal of structure to their advertising. Of course, this just pushed the valuations of FaceBook and YouTube up another notch as well. Some exits are in the wings for
IBM’s Enterprise Software Acquisition Spree
Oracle gets all the media attention, but IBM has been quietly buying up enterprise software companies. They have bought the following software companies in the last 2 years: Isogon, software asset management solutions. Micromuse, Ascential & Cyanea, performance management solutions of web-based business apps. DWL, Customer Data Integration (CDI) Middleware. Collation, IT service management software.
Philips Semiconductor: Sold
Philips spins off its chip business. KKR & Silverlake team up on this LBO deal, beating TPG, Bain Capital, Francisco Partners, Blackstone, Apax, etc. The disposal is part of a group strategy to move from a focus on high volume electronics and implementing a strategy to build a Healthcare, Lifestyle and Technology company with a