Microsoft has been busy trying to spend its $40 or 50 billion in cash. After a $4.00 per share payout to its shareholders, it has been on a buying spree. They have purchased an anti-virus company, an anti-spyware company, a couple of accounting software add on companies, and this week Groove Networks, a small collaborative software company.
This purchase does several very interesting things. First, the Groove Networks product is a natural plug in for the Microsoft Office products. Microsoft is betting that collaboration will be a big part of the future use of software products, I agree. They are already developing a bunch of collaborative products, these are a natural fit.
Possibly more importantly, this purchase gets them Ray Ozzie. Ray Ozzie is one of the geniuses of the software industry. He is right up there with the heavy hitters. He created Lotus Notes which has given Microsoft a run for its money in the collaborative workspace. He will become a Microsoft CTO (Chief Technology Officer) and report directly to Bill Gates.
As everyone knows, I am not a big fan of corporate mergers that make no sense (most of them). This acquisition by Microsoft is pure genius. Amazing things will come out of this. This Bill Gates guy is pretty good!
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