Microsoft Pledges 1 Billion to OpenAI

On 22 July 2019,Microsoft said it has agreed to contribute one billion dollars to the non-profit company OpenAI.The advanced technology project was initially funded with a billion dollars from investors Sam Altman,LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Peter Thiel.OpenAI was co-founded by billionaire Elon Musk and has a goal of achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI),which is a computer system that can learn at the human level and beyond.OpenAI intends to build a hardware and software platform of unprecedented scale.This powerful platform will train and run AI models that are progressively more advanced on the Microsoft Azure cloud computing service. *
Many of OpenAI's services will be transferred to Microsoft's Azure as well;what is more, Microsoft is the preferred partner to commercialise new services jointly pioneered by Microsoft and OpenAI.*
Mr.Musk left the project on good terms in February 2019,citing his current workload with Tesla and SpaceX,as well as disagreements about the new company's plans.
Microsoft (MSFT),LinkedIn (LNKD)

Microsoft Founder Foresees Another Financial Crisis Ahead

According to one of the world's wealthiest and most respected businessmen and philanthropists,,Microsoft principal founder and billionaire Bill Gates,another shattering downturn is on the way.Making his annual appearance on the Reddit programme "Ask Me Anything" on 27 February 2018,Mr.Gates opined:
It is hard to say when,but this is a certainty.
Fortunately,we got through the last one (2008) reasonably well.Warren (Buffett,billionaire co-founder of Berkshire Hathaway) has talked about this and he understands this area far better than I do.Despite this prediction of bumps ahead,I am quite optimistic about how innovation and capitalism will improve the situation for humans everywhere.*
Mr.Gates had a bit of advice for investors in the face of this warning:
If you aren't willing to own a stock for 10 years,don't even think about owning it for 10 minutes.*
Mr.Buffett had these words for investors in his 2018 annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway investors:
It is a terrible mistake for investors with long-term horizons-among them,pension funds,college endowments and savings-minded individuals-to measure their investment "risk" by their portfolio's ratio of bonds to stocks.Often,high-grade bonds in an investment portfolio increase its risk.*
There is simply no telling how far stocks can fall in a short period.Even if your borrowings are small and your positions aren't threatened by the plunging market,your mind may well become rattled by scary headlines and breathless commentary.And an unsettled mind will not make good decisions.*
Stick with big,"easy" decisions and eschew activity.*
Microsoft (MSFT),Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class B Shares (BRK.B)

Words of the Day:Cybersecurity,Antitrust and Alibaba

I'm paranoid enough that I get a new credit card every three months,said Ken Westin,Tripwire security researcher.I'm guessing at least one or two retailers a week are going to be coming out with an announcement.I'm expecting to see more shoes drop.
I think the Home Depot hackers are a much more sophisticated group than those that hacked Apple's iCloud accounts of celebrities.Odds are,they're operating outside the US.Once those credit cards get exfiltrated out of the US to Russia or Eastern Europe,it's almost impossible to follow up on the investigation.*
Microsoft has an antitrust law problem in China.Their office was raided by Chinese authorities in July.This is pretty serious for Microsoft,said David Evans,Vice President and Chairman of Global Economics.It's not clear what exactly the allegations are.The full array of claims I don't think we know at this point in time.I think the point is,it's a law that was passed in 2008.This is a baby antitrust law.It's really a very new thing in China.This is actually very quick for China to be taking the law so seriously and acting so aggressively.*
Alibaba,the Chinese Internet titan,has valued itself at 162.7 billion dollars prior to its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange later this month.Alibaba will announce share pricing on September 18 and go public the following day.Its publicity roadshow begins at the Waldorf Astoria in New York today,followed by two weeks of meetings with prospective investors.
Alibaba has spent 4.6 billion dollars on 2014 deals.There will be questions about this M&A strategy,as profit margins are crimped when a business expands too rapidly.The company also has an ownership structure that is not investor-friendly.Investors have less of a say in big company decisions than they would like.
It does concern me,says Jeff Sica,founder and president of SICA Wealth Management,because transparency is clearly one of the clouds on their horizon.The top question is,is Alibaba going to be able to operate under the standards of the NYSE?*
Microsoft(MSFT,Home Depot(HD),Apple Computer(AAPL)

Windows XP:The OS That Will Not Die

Microsoft,facing a new round of criticism for abandoning users of the Windows XP operating system and its Internet Explorer browser in light of a recently discovered security threat,has changed its mind-at least this once.In a Thursday blog post,Microsoft's General Manager of Trustworthy Computing,Adrienne Hall,wrote that we take a huge amount of pride that,among widely used browsers,Internet Explorer is the safest in the world due to its secure development and the ability to protect customers,even in the face of cybercriminals who want to break it.This means that when we saw the first reports about this vulnerability,we said fix it,fix it fast,and fix it for all our customers.So we did.
We made this exception based on the proximity to the end of support for Windows XP.Just because this update is out now doesn't mean you should stop thinking about getting off Windows XP and moving to a newer version of Windows and the latest version of Internet Explorer,Ms.Hall added.
The threat,posed by the hacker team "Operation Clandestine Fox," was discovered last weekend by FireEye,a cybersecurity firm and Microsoft Partner.The hackers targeted the latest IE versions,IE 9-IE 11.Microsoft said it wouldn't be supplying a fix to most Windows XP users because it had ended support on April 8,but critics argued Microsoft was ethically obligated to provide a patch for the new problem as it had made a ton of money off its Windows XP customers.
The patch was rolled out Friday at 10 am and will be sent to Windows XP customers who have the automatic update feature on.An estimated 27% of the world's computers still run Windows XP,despite Microsoft's best efforts to wean them off the popular OS.Those who can afford to are paying Microsoft for extended support.
Jim Kelly update:On Tuesday April 29,Jill Kelly tweeted the following:
Week 4,Day 2 of radiation
Round 2 of Chemo...getting pumped up and ready RIGHT NOW
Jim's fans have been tweeting pictures of themselves wearing their "#12 Kelly Tough" wristbands.Support for the Buffalo Bills football legend in his struggle with head and neck cancer has never been stronger.

Out in the Cold:Microsoft Abandons Windows XP

Unless you are a big bank or subscribe to a cyber security service that has committed to protecting you,you are as of now on your own if you are a Windows XP user.This blog tested whether Norton Security,made by Symantec Coporation,would protect a client's Windows XP machine,and it seems to be robustly doing so.Norton's Quick Scan feature indicated several new Windows-oriented checks were being carried out.Despite this,Norton strongly recommends that its clients switch to a new operating system.*
Some 20-30% of Windows machines still run the Windows XP operating system.This includes computers in millions of homes and businesses.Most ATMs are still running on Windows XP.Microsoft has failed to convince many people to shell out the cost to upgrade to its newer products.They are satisfied with the old reliable system they have always used.Windows XP is still utilised by police departments,banks and law offices,among many other places.Microsoft's new products just aren't very popular.*
The big banks,including Citi,PNC,Bank of America and Chase,are all paying Microsoft to keep securing their ATMs while they go through the process of adjustment.About 95% of ATMs are relying on Windows XP and they,along with countless others,need security patches as new threats to the OS arise.It is believed that,without the security updates,hackers will worm their way into Windows XP computers and disrupt them,while also stealing the owner's personal data.*
Symantec(SYMC),Microsoft(MSFT)

Market Views:Microsoft's Roadmap and Tesla's Prospects

On the the recent slide in the stock market,I don't think it's gonna turn into much,said Andrew Burkly,managing director at Oppenheimer&Co.We're expecting kind of a 5-10% dip.Earnings season's been OK.People are looking to rotate into more of a global capex story.Overall we think the earnings season is turning out pretty well.*
We're not strong on the fundamentals of Microsoft,but on the opportunity for change,according to Rick Sherlund,US Technology Research Team head at Nomura Securities.If you were to take an internal candidate for CEO and pair it with CFO Amy Hood,you could come up with a pretty good conclusion.
I think you need radical changes in the business itself,more services in the cloud.Enhance shareholder value with dividend increases and share buybacks.That gives you the freedom to change more businesses to business light with lowered margins.*
In the long run,you have to bet on emerging markets growth,said Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein.Basically the flattening of the world is getting great opportunity in these countries.*
December's Index of Leading Economic Indicators rose 0.1%,the smallest increase since 2012.December existing home sales rose 1.0%.The national median home price was 198,000 dollars,up 9.9% from December 2012.*
Tesla Motors is selling its Model S electric sedans starting at 121,000 dollars in China.They are being shipped now for March or April delivery.Hong Kong alone took 300 orders in August.China is the number one market for luxury auto sales and has a pollution problem,making it a promising territory for Tesla.*
Asian markets were down in Tuesday trading on worries about Chinese economic data and the Fed meeting later today.US stock futures rose,however,after three straight days of decline.*
Tesla Motors(TSLA)

Ballmer's Departure:Risk and Opportunity

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is to resign upon his successor's appointment.He has headed the tech titan since 2000.*Ballmer and Microsoft have been laggards,said Matthew McCormick,portfolio manager at Bahl and Gaynor Investment Counsel.It opens up so many doors.You're gonna see some capital returned to shareholders,some new thought and leadership.We think there's gonna be more unlocking of value throughout the tech sector.*They need someone from the outside.They need to make a move.We have high expectations Microsoft is gonna do something big.The tech sector has the best opportunity for growth going forward.*Microsoft's shares have lost 43% of their value since Ballmer took over.Rick Sherlund of Nomura Securities said we don't believe there is a successor in waiting.It's a failure of management.*Dan Niles,chief investment officer at Alpha One Capital Partners,said I think you're gonna get a dividend increase and a buyback increase.It's definitely a short term play.It's more about multiple expansion.*CEO changes are tough when you're in a business like this.The only way Ballmer's gone is Bill Gates wants hime gone.Someone from inside would be a bad decision.I think there are good CEOs out there.They need to look outside the box.They need a fresh perspective,Dan Niles observed.*Ballmer's management system created internal divisions,said Kirk Eichenwald of Vanity Fair magazine.The company needs to be busted up.It has so many divisions that have nothing to do with each other.Focus each division on what it does well,and sell off those that don't do well.*Microsoft(MSFT)

Microsoft's Troubled Road

The declining PC business matters,according to Dan Niles,co-Chief Investment Officer at asset manager AlphaOne Capital Partners.Enterprise is still tied to the PC business.Microsoft missed estimates in all five revenue segments.The problem is,you're gonna have more tablets sold than PCs in Q4. Microsoft is a great cash flow business.It's a software company,but it's on the wrong side of the market.It has a good quarter mixed in here and there.Until they figure out how to have a strong smart phone and tablet,they're on the wrong side of a business transition. Google is in a good spot with Android.Eventually,this mobile transition will run its course.For Microsoft,you need stabilisation in the PC market.In 2-3 years from now,you might reconsider the stock. Mr.Niles,Senior Portfolio Manager of the AlphaOne Satori Fund,has a negative position in both Microsoft and Google. Microsoft is currently undergoing a restructuring,in an attempt to better navigate the shifting business landscape. Microsoft(MSFT),Google(GOOG)

Ranting and Raving:Stop Complaining and Invest

The Bernanke economy is lifting the world,said CNBC's Jim Cramer.The most powerful financial figure in the world,he did it right.Stop bellyaching and go make some money.I've never been against making money;it helps. Without China,the metals complex is catching up.There has to be something going on.We are pumping oil bigger than the level of 1992.We are expanding refined products. I would argue that PCs are over.The industry's going away.I like Nokia.Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer wants to do bold things with it.I think Nokia is a spectacular buy. Investing is part of America,and I welcome people back-even if it is through "Helicopter Ben" Bernanke. Boeing is a teflon stock.I do like that CEO McNerney said the battery is fixable.Don't bet against Boeing. I think Ballmer is back.He's better than ever.I'm looking to Microsoft's gaming division.I probably want to buy UPS right now.Maybe there are a lot of negatives,not many positives.I like that.I think it's gonna be recovering two days from now. There's a lot of excitement in the market,the popular CNBC market analyst Jim Cramer noted. He also likes Advanced Micro Devices on the gaming console trade and Celgene on its positive myeloma data. Nokia(NOK),Microsoft(MSFT),Boeing(BA),Advanced Micro Devices(AMD),Celgene(CELG)

Should You Invest in Microsoft

I think Microsoft will move the office and server business to the cloud,said Rick Sherlund,Managing Director and Director of Technology Research at Nomura Securities,to align internally and focus their business model around the cloud.Their primary competitor in the cloud is Amazon.
It's gonna be important that they deliver higher end software,not just infrastructure.A lot of enterprises run Microsoft,so hopefully you can draw above average margins.
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer own a little less than 9% of the stock.The stock rallies on restructuring reports.On fundamentals,the stock is pretty uninteresting right now.A lot of it is gonna have to come from increasing shareholder value.
Microsoft owns 10% of privately held Israeli  navigation and traffic report app Waze Ltd,which Google will reportedly purchase for 1.1 billion dollars.Microsoft would receive 100 million for its stake in the app.
Neither Google nor Waze will comment on the prospective deal.
In Monday trading,Microsoft stock closed at 35.47,down 0.56%.
Microsoft(MSFT),Google(GOOG),Amazon(AMZN)

Will Hewlett-Packard Have a Happy New Year

Hewlett-Packard's Elite Pad is focused on the enterprise,said Todd Bradley,Executive Vice President of HP's Printing and Personal Systems Group.It is built on a Microsoft platform with manageability and security in mind,starting at the enterprise and letting it come down to the consumer.
Clearly the global market is changing.Our ability to innovate in hardware,software and design will help us stand out and sell to both consumers and enterprise.
The activity at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was pretty robust.There was a lot of focus on touch and Windows 8.
HP will roll out new high speed ink products later this year.There will be eprint,which goes from a mobile device anywhere in the world to the printer you choose.
Christmas was good for HP.The transition to both online and in-store shopping is taking place all over the world and is converging.
In after hours trading Monday,HP shares were at 17.00,up 0.84%.
Hewlett-Packard(HPQ),Microsoft(MSFT)

Who Sings on the Internet Explorer 9 Commercial

The song is called "Too Close."It is performed by the British singer songwriter Alex Clare,27.Clare,a London native and resident,says he is a big Stevie Wonder fan.He had dated the late Amy Winehouse for a year.
Clare's most successful track to date,"Too Close" is from his debut album "The Lateness of the Hour,"which was released in July 2011.Thanks to its use in the IE9 commercial,the song reached #8 on the US Billboard Hot 100,and #4 on the UK Singles Chart.It is available on YouTube.
Described as being visually stunning,IE9 was released by Microsoft on March 14,2011.The web browser is characterised by hardware accelerated graphics and video,as well as high fidelity printing and enhanced security.It is not compatible with Windows XP.
PC World magazine ranked IE9 #19 on its Best Products of 2011 list.
Future versions of IE will only be supported on Windows 7 and later,and not on Windows Vista.
The slogan for IE9 is "Fast is now beautiful."
Microsoft(MSFT)

Scrutinising Microsoft:Is The Future Promising

In its recent report to shareholders,Microsoft beat on the earnings estimate,but missed on revenue.The company will begin a new product cycle in October with the release of Windows 8.Brendan Barnacle of Pacific Crest Securities said we are a little concerned about the hype around Windows 8,so we might take a little off the table.
Microsoft experienced a net loss of 492 million dollars-the first in its 26 year history as a public corporation.That was mainly from a writedown it took in connection with its 2007 acquisition of online display ad company aQuantive,however.Excluding that,earnings were 0.73,versus the estimate of 0.62 a share.Microsoft's 2012 fiscal year revenue,or sales,was a record 743 billion dollars.
On 10-26,Microsoft will release its first tablet computer,the Surface.PC users on Windows 7,Vista or Windows XP will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 for the price of 40.00 until the end of January 2013.
The online services division,including the Bing search engine,lost about 472 million on the quarter.Revenue for the Windows PC division was down 58 million versus the year ago quarter.
The company's enterprise segment was up 7% as businesses placed multiyear orders for Office 15 and database software.This enterprise business helped make up for consumers deferring purchases until Windows 8 comes out or buying competitors' products.The deferred revenue number was pretty good,said Mr.Barnacle of Pacific Crest Securities.This number gives you an indication of future growth,so that's encouraging.He rates Microsoft as "sector perform."Given all that we know about the weakness in PCs,it's not surprising that the sales numbers came in a little light,particularly on the Windows side.
The company's revenue in Entertainment and Devices,including the Xbox gaming console,rose an outstanding 20% to 1.78 billion dollars.Sales and marketing costs were cut 3.5% to 3.78 billion.
All in all,the company has a good deal to look forward to as it gears up for the Windows 8 release and the Surface tablet,continuing to serve its enterprise customers and Xbox denizens in the meantime.It's doing a reasonable job for a mature corporation navigating the highly competitive environment it finds itself in.
Microsoft(MSFT)

Microsoft Jobs and Culture

Microsoft is currently hiring in Chevy Chase,Maryland.They need Software Development Engineers;Software Development Engineers in Test;Development Leads and Test Leads.For details and to apply for these positions visit http://bit.ly/MSjobs-SDE
They also need Solutions Specialists.For this one,visit www.jobs-microsoft.com/job/go/1497946/
There are multiple openings for each category at all levels,e.g.,Principal,Senior and Lead.
Microsoft Mid Atlantic District:Washington,DC
5400 Wisconsin Avenue,Suite 700
Chevy Chase,MD 20815
Microsoft has been designated a Great Place To Work in the World's Best Multinational Workplaces 2011.They are committed long term to the mission of helping their customers realize their full potential.They continually evolve the company to be in the best position to accelerate new technologies as they emerge and to better serve their customers,who use the software to find creative solutions
to business problems,develop breakthrough ideas,and stay connected to what's important to them-and Microsoft strives to do the same.
A globally diverse and inclusive workplace is integral to Microsoft's vision,strategy and business success.
Microsoft(MSFT)

Who Owns msbnc.com

msnbc.com is a separate company from msnbc the cable channel.It is a 50/50 partnership between Microsoft and NBC Universal.msnbc.com is the news website for all of the NBC News family and Microsoft's MSN.According to Nielsen Online,it is the number one online news site in the U.S.
msnbc.com is considering a name change to safeguard its distinct identity.Its slogan is "A Fuller Spectrum of News."Comprehensive health news is one of the website's emphases.
The msnbc cable network went on the air on July 15,1996.For nine years,Microsoft and NBC Universal were equal partners in the venture.In December 2005,Microsoft sold most of its stake to NBC Universal.By 2007,Microsoft had entirely divested its holding in the channel.
In October 2010,msnbc openly acknowledged its approach as being politically progressive,although conservative views are also represented at times.
More than 78 million U.S. households have access to msnbc.It is also broadcast in various forms to Germany,South Africa,Europe,the Middle East and Canada.Its parent,NBC Universal,is now majority owned by Comcast,and General Electric owns the remainder of the company.
Comcast(CMCSA),General Electric(GE),Microsoft(MSFT)

Microsoft Jobs

Microsoft Corporation is hiring for its Chevy Chase,Maryland location.Needed are Software Development Engineers and Software Development Engineers in Test,icluding Lead,Senior and Principal levels.They will develop computer software applications,systems or services.
Multiple openings are available at various levels for each of the categories.To view complete requirements and to apply,visit http://bit.ly/MSJobs-SDE or www.jobs-microsoft.com
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer,supporting workplace diversity.

Google's Size Problem

Google is the largest of the large,which makes trouble for the tech titan.You will have competitors complaining about Google,points out Harry First,Professor of Law at New York University and former head of the New York state anti-trust bureau.There is always the fear they're doing that to thwart a better competitor.This clearly is a concern for Google.
Google does have some monopoly power.You can build a successful business and continue to build it as long as you do it properly.They just can't exclude competitors.
Ohio,Wisconsin and Texas are questioning Google.States may take Google to court.These states try to incentivize the federal government to do so as well.
Google is a very aggressive company.Clearly it's in the hot seat all over the world.They reach out and try to explain what they're doing,Professor First noted.
Google's attorneys have been busy in Europe,trying to fend off accusations by Microsoft and others that they have an unfair lead in search advertising.If the accusations get to a formal investigative stage,it may be difficult to stop the case,since the authorities then have a vested interest in achieving something with it,justifying the expense of the investigation.
Google(GOOG),Microsoft(MSFT)

Tech Founder's Vision:From Netscape to the Cloud

Marc Andreesen,co-founder of the early Internet firm Netscape,notes that everyone thinks we're in a tech bubble,which means we must not be.I don't think we've seen the innovators yet,let alone the idiots.
The industry rewards ingenuity,aggressiveness,innovation.The successful are successful because they are so good at innovation.
In the last five years,500 million people have switched browsers.We're basically reinventing browsers around the services people like to use,such as Facebook.
Cloud computing means moving out into the Internet,using Gmail and Google documents instead of Microsoft Outlook.It's a very big architecture change,with matching companies springing up.
There are more than two billion people on the Internet.I think the perception of tech has caught up to the reality.
Marc Andreesen co-founded Netscape with Jim Clark,being one of the inventors of the browser that became Netscape.Today,Netscape is a holding company of AOL,consisting of a web browser,discount Internet service provider and popular social news website.Netscape moved from Mountain View,California to Dulles,Virginia.
AOL,Inc.(AOL),Google(GOOG),Microsoft(MSFT)

Microsoft Has Many Openings

Microsoft Corporation has several openings in Chevy Chase,Maryland and Reston,Virginia,as well as surrounding areas.They need
Software Engineers
Program Managers
Consultants
Finance Managers
Premier Field Engineers
Systems/Operations Engineers
They have multiple openings at various levels.For details and to apply,visit www.jobs-microsoft.com
Microsoft is an EOE supporting workplace diversity.

Ballmer's Search View

Steve Ballmer,CEO of Microsoft,expressed his vision of the search world at the recent SMX event in Santa Clara,California.Google got to search first,Mr.Ballmer admitted.There's a value to incumbency.The truth is,we do have an ambition to grow.I guarantee you,search is gonna be an ever-growing share of Microsoft's profits.
The dynamics of business model competition are fascinating,Mr.Ballmer believes.There are a whole set of innovations still to come around business models.We've got seven or eight big businesses,plus a lot of our customers.I'm generally working on things that are in an intersection.We've got great people actually driving the search team.They have really improved,and there's always a new frontier.
We have a great partnership with Twitter.Whether we need to own the company or not I think is less clear.I'm more of a consumer than an author when it comes to the real time type of service such as Twitter.Facebook wants to be an independent company.A great collaboration would be best both for the searcher and for us,Mr.Ballmer said,wearing a burgundy sweatshirt over his blue button down.
We've got a lot of great stuff in the user experience.We've got to consolidate and drive taking action.We want to make sure we take care of the breadth of our experience in different countries over the next couple of years.The biggest opportunity in search is really helping people get done what they're trying to get done.It shouldn't be that hard to call up data.I'd like data assembled for me.We're all gonna have to go further and further down that path,the Microsoft CEO observed.