With the announcement today of Microsoft acquiring Skype, reactions range from extreme skepticism by some on Wall Street to near elation from users of Skype and Microsoft products. Why? This is Microsoft’s largest acquisition in terms of a cash outlay; and the last time they pulled the trigger on a >$5B deal for aQuantive, consensus from insiders and outsiders alike is that they overpaid and failed during integration efforts to realize the full value of the potential of the acquired com... [More]

Earlier today, Cisco issued a press release announcing organizational changes designed to simplify operations thus “restoring our operational excellence”. With the announcement, Cisco has backed away from three things:  1.       Consumers  2.       Cross functional engineering 3.       Cisco’s bureaucratic ‘council management’ approach.     ... [More]