Podcasts about aquantive

Karl Siebrecht and Joe Lynch discuss flexible warehousing, which is exactly what Karl and the Flexe team provides to their customers. Karl is the Co-Founder and CEO of Flexe, a company that solves the hardest omnichannel logistics problems for the world's largest retailers and brands. About Karl Siebrecht Karl Siebrecht is the Co-Founder and CEO of Flexe, a company that solves the hardest omnichannel logistics problems for the world's largest retailers and brands. Karl is a seasoned technology executive, with leadership experience in both startups and large, global corporations. Prior to co-founding Flexe, Karl was CEO of AdReady, a Seattle-based advertising technology company. He is also a founding Board member of EnergySavvy, a SaaS-based solution for energy efficiency management. Previously, Karl was President of Atlas at aQuantive, before its $6B acquisition by Microsoft, and earlier in his career he was a Manager at Bain & Company in Boston and a Diving Officer in the U.S. Navy. About Flexe Flexe solves the hardest omnichannel logistics problems for the world's largest retailers and brands. Integrating technology, open logistics networks, and elastic economic models allow Flexe customers to move fast, at scale, and with precision. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Seattle, Flexe brings deep logistics expertise and enterprise-grade technology to deliver innovative eCommerce fulfillment, retail distribution and network capacity programs to the Fortune 500. Key Takeaways: Flexible Warehousing Karl Siebrecht is the Co-Founder and CEO of Flexe, a company that solves the hardest omnichannel logistics problems for the world's largest retailers and brands. In the podcast interview, Karl and Joe discuss flexible warehousing, which is exactly what Flexe delivers to their customers. Flexe solves the most difficult omnichannel logistics problems for the world's largest retailers and brands. Flexe Logistics Programs expedite network expansion and growth through a flexible, asset-light approach. With Flexe, there are no upfront costs or term agreements, just better omnichannel operations and a smarter use of capital. Flexe provides their customers with a sophisticated technology platform to run same-day delivery, ecommerce fulfillment, and B2B distribution programs. Learn More About Flexible Warehousing Karl on LinkedIn  Karl on Twitter Flexe on LinkedIn Flexe on Twitter Flexe website Flexe Case Study: Cost-Conscious CPG Company Finds 300%+ Storage Savings with Flexe Logistics Programs Flexe Case Study: Aterian Uses Flexe Logistics Programs to Achieve 97% Two-Day or Less Delivery Speeds Flexe white paper: The 2022 Omnichannel Retail Report Flexe webinars Sponsor: Tusk Logistics Tusk Logistics is a national network of the best regional parcel carriers that puts Shippers first, with lower costs, reliable service, and proactive support. Tusk save Shippers 40% or more on small parcel shipping. Tusk's technology connects your parcel operation to a national network of vetted regional carriers, all with pre-negotiated rates and reliable, predictable service. Integrating to your existing software takes minutes, and Tusk has your back with proactive shipper support on each parcel, in real time. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast Check out The Logistics of Logistics on Youtube

Confused about everything going on with The Fed, inflation and how it affects tech and startup valuations? Or why it seems like every Jerome Powell comment brings out an army of finance's equivalent of fortune tellers and tarot card readers? So were we, so we called up the best person we know to explain everything -- Matt McBrady. Matt may be the only person who's been an academic economist, worked at the US Treasury, run a massive hedge fund AND helped start and sit on the board of two very successful startups, aQuantive and Axon/TASER. Tune in for a crash course in everything you need to know! ‍ Links J.P.'s Never Gonna Give you Up Follow Matt on LinkedIn to see his posts or connect with him for consulting, board opportunities, etc For more on Matt's academic work, check out his UVA faculty webpage

When Microsoft announced its acquisition of LinkedIn for more than $26 billion five years ago, there was lots of skepticism, and for good reason. After all, Microsoft was a company known for taking huge write-downs when its biggest acquisitions (aQuantive, Nokia, etc.) failed to live up to expectations. But that was then, and after becoming the new leader of the venerable software giant, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was taking a different approach, sticking to Microsoft's strength in business technology by picking up the popular business social network. It remains the biggest deal in Microsoft's history, and with that in mind, now it also qualifies as Satya Nadella's biggest success as Microsoft CEO. This week, we learned that LinkedIn has joined the ranks of Microsoft's $10 billion-dollar businesses, crossing that threshold in annual revenue for the first time. Unfortunately, we still don't know for sure if LinkedIn is a profitable business, as Microsoft stopped disclosing LinkedIn's operating profits a couple of years ago. But based on the underlying economics of the business, and the prior trajectory of LinkedIn's bottom line, it's a relatively safe bet that it's operating in the black.  We discuss the LinkedIn deal, five years later, in the second segment of this week's GeekWire Podcast. My colleague John Cook are back in the GeekWire studio at our offices in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood for the first time in 18 months, along with podcast producer Curt Milton.  We start with a behind-the-scenes discussion of GeekWire's Great Race II, and conclude with a new feature, Number of the Week, plucked from our local coffee giant's latest results. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

前言：数字化，没有唯一路线，也没有标准答案。 旅行与探险完全是两码事。 前者通常有既定的路线和攻略参考，但后者多是深入未知地域的开拓和探索。 如果说过去十几年的信息化建设是一段有着标准路线和通用攻略的旅途，企业们还可以沿着前车的“车辙”前行。 那么，现阶段的数字化转型则更像是一片充满未知性的“无人区”，没有唯一路线，也没有标准答案。 所以，在这个阶段，比起当一个普通旅者，企业更应该成为一位探险家，在面对极端恶劣环境和紧急事件时，要有基本的应变能力和自救能力。放在时间维度上，这也是一种与时俱进的生存能力。 与时俱进意味着创新，这一能力的缺失，几乎就是一个企业没落的先兆。哪怕是产业巨头也不例外。 在我们所熟知的那些例子中，有诺基亚因为不创新错过了智能手机时代，也有柯达因为不创新错过了数码时代，另外，还有千千万万的实体企业因为不能与时俱进，被互联网时代“无情抛弃”。 当然，并不是去做一件完全不同的事情就能称为创新。就像是穿越“无人区”时辨别方向的重要性，在任何一个时代，企业的创新也都不该是盲目的。 那么，作为中国的老牌家电企业，TCL是如何在数字化这片“无人区”辨明方向的？TCL实业控股首席技术官孙力在第十期《刷新CTO》节目中分享了TCL的“秘诀”（戳链接即可回看https://aka.ms/AAcglug）。 左至右分别为：至顶网总经理兼总编辑高飞、TCL实业控股首席技术官孙力、微软首席技术官韦青 一、家电产品智能化，带来计算与智能的碎片化 “背后的原动力还是来自于用户的场景化诉求。”孙力一言蔽之。 拿家电行业来说，产品的智能化已经成为一个非常重要的趋势，它不但要求家电产品可以联网，还要具备一定的智能交互特性。 孙力以空调为例做了解释：“比如我们在夏天回家之前，是希望空调可以提前打开给房间降温的。” 这时候，只有联网，用户才能进行远程操控，只有智能，空调才能自动调节到适宜的温度。 在他看来，无论是空调，还是电视、手机、冰箱等等，每一个产品都会变成企业与用户连接的一个触点，而用户的体验需求，将要求所有的产品和设备进行互联互通，进行智能化协作。 “这意味着，我们需要提供给用户的，不再只是某一个产品，而是一个解决方案。是用户越来越精细化的诉求，促进了产品向数字化和智能化转变。”孙力强调。 按照这一趋势，未来的家电产品将越来越“拟人化”，可以随时随地与用户进行交互，满足用户的需要。 而前提是，这些触点在哪，计算和智能能力就要延伸到哪，才能充分赋予机器感知环境、感知声音、感知画面的能力。 “首先第一个问题是把连接的问题搞定，这时候就需要通过云端实现。还拿空调来说，它的身上有几百个参数，这些参数只有在云端形成一个数字化映射，才能与移动设备进行连接，从而解决远程控制的问题。 另外，我们现在还可以通过大数据统计监测环境温度，比如深圳、北京外面的温度，然后借助信息源配置，实时更新调节参数。如果没有云端的帮助，这是没法做到的。”孙力表示。 当然，不是所有的触点云端都可以覆盖——比如说门铃的场景。不同于传统的猫眼+门铃的设计，现在的智能门铃都带有摄像头功能，而要进行摄像头音视频的传输甚至分析，计算就必须发生在端侧。 “它对实时性的要求很高，摄像头采集进来的数据流，必须马上处理。”不过，云与端也并不是非此即彼，孙力解释说，“如果你不在家有人按门铃，你想通过手机看看门口是谁，这就得用云端来协助。 如果门口有人老是鬼鬼祟祟，甚至还需要AI，而AI算法有时又跑在云端，所以云和端侧是协作的关系。” 也就是说，哪怕是同一产品，在不同场景，对算力也会有不同诉求，从云到边缘侧再到端侧，计算和智能需求的碎片化趋势越来越明显。 二、从云、边缘到端，算力分配与体验挂钩 场景可以碎片化，计算可以碎片化，智能也可以碎片化，但是对这些“碎片”的布局和管理必须“有理有据”。 “可以肯定的是，云计算、边缘和末梢端一个也不能少”，微软首席技术官韦青把云计算比喻成人类大脑的运算，边缘计算比喻成脊髓神经丛，终端末梢计算比喻成神经末梢， “我认为，现在计算力是均分的，但至于均分的力度放在哪里，现在并没有完全统一的答案。终极目标是保证数字化反馈链的速度最快、成本最低、能耗最少。” 所谓的“数字化反馈链”，首先是给具体动作设定一个目标，比如温度、湿度、咸度、甜度等等，然后通过信息的收集、传输、存储和计算、分析、预测来实现既定的目标。 “比如空调，当温度太高了就往低了调一点，太低了就往高了调一点。”韦青解释，“这就像是工业领域的PID（在工业过程控制中，可以按偏差的比例（P）、积分（I）和微分（D）进行控制的自动控制器），在我们未来的生活中，或许每一个环节都可以用类似PID的方式满足用户需求。” “（在具体的场景）到底用什么样的算力，我认为这与用户的体验是紧密相关的。”至顶网总经理兼总编辑高飞在节目中也表示，“实际上，用户要的不是一个空调，而是一个适宜的温度。” 他认为，温度的高低由人自己拿遥控器控制，但如果机器能够直接告诉或者把空调调至适宜的温度，那就可以完全省掉遥控的环节。“也就是说，过去的产品服务变成了体验服务。” “我们原来跟机器的‘对话'是不对等的，因为它们很笨，现在如果要让它更舒心、方便，它的智能化水平就要提升，而智能化水平的关键就在于感知，从视觉、听觉到触觉等等，它会慢慢拟人化。”孙力表示。 这也再次佐证，计算和智能将变得无处不在。 设想一下，未来的每一个房间可能都会装有几十个甚至上百个微处理器，它们可以随时感知环境的变化，并不断地对采集的数据进行分析、学习，最终的目的，是从体验出发，把环境实时调整到“最佳舒适度”。而从企业视角来说，利用最新的技术来满足用户这样的体验需求，这就是进行数字化转型的意义。 “这是大势所趋，从技术的历史来说，每次大的技术变量都会刷新产品，在创造新的体验的同时，也在改变竞争格局，因为变量意味着机会。”孙力说。 三、技术刷新中，实体迎来“逆袭”机会 20年前，互联网来势汹汹，甚至完全打乱了传统实体产业的竞争格局，许多互联网企业直接分走了实体企业的“蛋糕”，这让后者措手不及。 但是，随着云计算、物联网、人工智能等又一轮新技术发展起来，那些愿意借此刷新自己产品的企业也迎来了新的机会。 在这波浪潮中，实体企业与互联网企业又站在了同一起跑线上。这对于实体企业的意义或许更大——因为它意味着一个“逆袭”的机会。 如比尔•盖茨在萨提亚《刷新》一书的“序言”中所说：“当你在浏览器上点击“刷新”按键时，页面上的一些内容仍保持不变。” 互联网在过去这十几年之所以盛行，是因为它刷新了产品交付的方式，使得连接产品与用户的距离变得更短。 而现在，用户的触点越来越多，任何一个地方，任何一个终端，都可以随时变成产品与用户连接的触点，互联网平台已经不是唯一的渠道。 其中，不变的是——产品将始终是企业塑造竞争力的立足点。 对于产品的打磨，实体行业或许更有优势。 还以家电行业为例，“我觉得一家公司未来在打造竞争力的过程中，跟用户的触点越多越好，因为用户的体验是连续的，我从客厅走到厨房，你不能拦着我。为什么说将来设备一定是互联互通的？就是为了打造无缝的体验。”孙力强调。 “而无论是体验、内容还是是上游的服务生态，它总得通过某一个产品来交付，都得有一个载体。所以，对TCL这样公司来说，这么多年我们也已经悄然生息地发生了一些变化。” 据他介绍，TCL已经从过去的一个电视机品牌商转变成了一个半导体公司。“我们的一个理念是，未来到处都是显示屏。 冰箱里、抽油烟机，恨不得哪里都是大屏。所以，对于TCL来说，未来几年的核心战略就是以智慧显示为中心，带动全品类产品升级，为用户提供更好的解决方案和服务体验，从而刷新企业。” 对此，韦青补充说：“我们发现，其实未来还会是一个‘专业化'的时代，企业还是要回归本业。如果本业没有竞争优势，企图靠所谓的数字化能力来代表优势，反而会被人淘汰。” 他谈及了微软自身的转型历程，“最早，我们收购过网络广告公司aQuantive，后来又收购了诺基亚，直到最后，我们发现方向搞错了。我们不应该转型成为互联网企业，而是吸取互联网精神，就是不断创新，不断迭代。” 以微软为例，它的本业和DNA是软件，落到核心产品Azure上，从操作系统到数据库等各个层面，Azure所有优势的发挥靠的都是软件。 “现在，我们的愿景是把Azure打造为世界的计算机，正是希望为企业提供的就是无处不在的计算和智能。”韦青表示。 也就是说，对于实体企业而言，不能守住本业，只是盲目创新也无法成功；对于互联网企业而言，如果不能沉心打磨产品，也同样会被分分钟取代。甚至，在混沌的竞争中，互联网的门槛更低。 四、数字化大幕刚刚拉开，启程为时不晚 不过，产品的创新只是一个开始。 如孙力所说，企业进行数字化转型是要渗透在方方面面的，不光产品要数字化，内部运营、工厂管理、营销渠道等贯穿产品的全链条都要做数字化。如此一来，才能真正实现业务的敏捷和高效，才能产生真正的商业智能。 高飞则把这个过程比喻为马拉松，他说：“其实一开始那个身位未必有我们想的那么重要，所谓的数字化或许才刚刚拉开大幕。” 这意味着，哪怕从此启程数字化，也为时不晚。“一方面，守住核心优势，另一方面，充分利用生态的优势引入最新的技术，这可能是企业转型升级的根本之道。” 总之，对抗未知的恐惧最好方式，就是自己亲历一次。 当然，我们也知道，穿越这片“无人区”时注定无法风雨无阻，新的状况可能随时出现。只有亲身穿越数字化转型这片“无人区”，才能遇见途中最曼妙壮丽的风景。 解决计算问题后，无处不在的计算和智能带来的无边界的安全问题要如何处理？ 如何让企业中的每一个人都能够与时俱进？ 面对未知与变化，企业如何能够始终保持创新力？ 一系列难题 三位嘉宾都在《刷新CTO》第10期中展开了深度的剖析与激烈探讨！

前言：数字化，没有唯一路线，也没有标准答案。 旅行与探险完全是两码事。 前者通常有既定的路线和攻略参考，但后者多是深入未知地域的开拓和探索。 如果说过去十几年的信息化建设是一段有着标准路线和通用攻略的旅途，企业们还可以沿着前车的“车辙”前行。 那么，现阶段的数字化转型则更像是一片充满未知性的“无人区”，没有唯一路线，也没有标准答案。 所以，在这个阶段，比起当一个普通旅者，企业更应该成为一位探险家，在面对极端恶劣环境和紧急事件时，要有基本的应变能力和自救能力。放在时间维度上，这也是一种与时俱进的生存能力。 与时俱进意味着创新，这一能力的缺失，几乎就是一个企业没落的先兆。哪怕是产业巨头也不例外。 在我们所熟知的那些例子中，有诺基亚因为不创新错过了智能手机时代，也有柯达因为不创新错过了数码时代，另外，还有千千万万的实体企业因为不能与时俱进，被互联网时代“无情抛弃”。 当然，并不是去做一件完全不同的事情就能称为创新。就像是穿越“无人区”时辨别方向的重要性，在任何一个时代，企业的创新也都不该是盲目的。 那么，作为中国的老牌家电企业，TCL是如何在数字化这片“无人区”辨明方向的？TCL实业控股首席技术官孙力在第十期《刷新CTO》节目中分享了TCL的“秘诀”（戳链接即可回看https://aka.ms/AAcglug）。 左至右分别为：至顶网总经理兼总编辑高飞、TCL实业控股首席技术官孙力、微软首席技术官韦青 一、家电产品智能化，带来计算与智能的碎片化 “背后的原动力还是来自于用户的场景化诉求。”孙力一言蔽之。 拿家电行业来说，产品的智能化已经成为一个非常重要的趋势，它不但要求家电产品可以联网，还要具备一定的智能交互特性。 孙力以空调为例做了解释：“比如我们在夏天回家之前，是希望空调可以提前打开给房间降温的。” 这时候，只有联网，用户才能进行远程操控，只有智能，空调才能自动调节到适宜的温度。 在他看来，无论是空调，还是电视、手机、冰箱等等，每一个产品都会变成企业与用户连接的一个触点，而用户的体验需求，将要求所有的产品和设备进行互联互通，进行智能化协作。 “这意味着，我们需要提供给用户的，不再只是某一个产品，而是一个解决方案。是用户越来越精细化的诉求，促进了产品向数字化和智能化转变。”孙力强调。 按照这一趋势，未来的家电产品将越来越“拟人化”，可以随时随地与用户进行交互，满足用户的需要。 而前提是，这些触点在哪，计算和智能能力就要延伸到哪，才能充分赋予机器感知环境、感知声音、感知画面的能力。 “首先第一个问题是把连接的问题搞定，这时候就需要通过云端实现。还拿空调来说，它的身上有几百个参数，这些参数只有在云端形成一个数字化映射，才能与移动设备进行连接，从而解决远程控制的问题。 另外，我们现在还可以通过大数据统计监测环境温度，比如深圳、北京外面的温度，然后借助信息源配置，实时更新调节参数。如果没有云端的帮助，这是没法做到的。”孙力表示。 当然，不是所有的触点云端都可以覆盖——比如说门铃的场景。不同于传统的猫眼+门铃的设计，现在的智能门铃都带有摄像头功能，而要进行摄像头音视频的传输甚至分析，计算就必须发生在端侧。 “它对实时性的要求很高，摄像头采集进来的数据流，必须马上处理。”不过，云与端也并不是非此即彼，孙力解释说，“如果你不在家有人按门铃，你想通过手机看看门口是谁，这就得用云端来协助。 如果门口有人老是鬼鬼祟祟，甚至还需要AI，而AI算法有时又跑在云端，所以云和端侧是协作的关系。” 也就是说，哪怕是同一产品，在不同场景，对算力也会有不同诉求，从云到边缘侧再到端侧，计算和智能需求的碎片化趋势越来越明显。 二、从云、边缘到端，算力分配与体验挂钩 场景可以碎片化，计算可以碎片化，智能也可以碎片化，但是对这些“碎片”的布局和管理必须“有理有据”。 “可以肯定的是，云计算、边缘和末梢端一个也不能少”，微软首席技术官韦青把云计算比喻成人类大脑的运算，边缘计算比喻成脊髓神经丛，终端末梢计算比喻成神经末梢， “我认为，现在计算力是均分的，但至于均分的力度放在哪里，现在并没有完全统一的答案。终极目标是保证数字化反馈链的速度最快、成本最低、能耗最少。” 所谓的“数字化反馈链”，首先是给具体动作设定一个目标，比如温度、湿度、咸度、甜度等等，然后通过信息的收集、传输、存储和计算、分析、预测来实现既定的目标。 “比如空调，当温度太高了就往低了调一点，太低了就往高了调一点。”韦青解释，“这就像是工业领域的PID（在工业过程控制中，可以按偏差的比例（P）、积分（I）和微分（D）进行控制的自动控制器），在我们未来的生活中，或许每一个环节都可以用类似PID的方式满足用户需求。” “（在具体的场景）到底用什么样的算力，我认为这与用户的体验是紧密相关的。”至顶网总经理兼总编辑高飞在节目中也表示，“实际上，用户要的不是一个空调，而是一个适宜的温度。” 他认为，温度的高低由人自己拿遥控器控制，但如果机器能够直接告诉或者把空调调至适宜的温度，那就可以完全省掉遥控的环节。“也就是说，过去的产品服务变成了体验服务。” “我们原来跟机器的‘对话'是不对等的，因为它们很笨，现在如果要让它更舒心、方便，它的智能化水平就要提升，而智能化水平的关键就在于感知，从视觉、听觉到触觉等等，它会慢慢拟人化。”孙力表示。 这也再次佐证，计算和智能将变得无处不在。 设想一下，未来的每一个房间可能都会装有几十个甚至上百个微处理器，它们可以随时感知环境的变化，并不断地对采集的数据进行分析、学习，最终的目的，是从体验出发，把环境实时调整到“最佳舒适度”。而从企业视角来说，利用最新的技术来满足用户这样的体验需求，这就是进行数字化转型的意义。 “这是大势所趋，从技术的历史来说，每次大的技术变量都会刷新产品，在创造新的体验的同时，也在改变竞争格局，因为变量意味着机会。”孙力说。 三、技术刷新中，实体迎来“逆袭”机会 20年前，互联网来势汹汹，甚至完全打乱了传统实体产业的竞争格局，许多互联网企业直接分走了实体企业的“蛋糕”，这让后者措手不及。 但是，随着云计算、物联网、人工智能等又一轮新技术发展起来，那些愿意借此刷新自己产品的企业也迎来了新的机会。 在这波浪潮中，实体企业与互联网企业又站在了同一起跑线上。这对于实体企业的意义或许更大——因为它意味着一个“逆袭”的机会。 如比尔•盖茨在萨提亚《刷新》一书的“序言”中所说：“当你在浏览器上点击“刷新”按键时，页面上的一些内容仍保持不变。” 互联网在过去这十几年之所以盛行，是因为它刷新了产品交付的方式，使得连接产品与用户的距离变得更短。 而现在，用户的触点越来越多，任何一个地方，任何一个终端，都可以随时变成产品与用户连接的触点，互联网平台已经不是唯一的渠道。 其中，不变的是——产品将始终是企业塑造竞争力的立足点。 对于产品的打磨，实体行业或许更有优势。 还以家电行业为例，“我觉得一家公司未来在打造竞争力的过程中，跟用户的触点越多越好，因为用户的体验是连续的，我从客厅走到厨房，你不能拦着我。为什么说将来设备一定是互联互通的？就是为了打造无缝的体验。”孙力强调。 “而无论是体验、内容还是是上游的服务生态，它总得通过某一个产品来交付，都得有一个载体。所以，对TCL这样公司来说，这么多年我们也已经悄然生息地发生了一些变化。” 据他介绍，TCL已经从过去的一个电视机品牌商转变成了一个半导体公司。“我们的一个理念是，未来到处都是显示屏。 冰箱里、抽油烟机，恨不得哪里都是大屏。所以，对于TCL来说，未来几年的核心战略就是以智慧显示为中心，带动全品类产品升级，为用户提供更好的解决方案和服务体验，从而刷新企业。” 对此，韦青补充说：“我们发现，其实未来还会是一个‘专业化'的时代，企业还是要回归本业。如果本业没有竞争优势，企图靠所谓的数字化能力来代表优势，反而会被人淘汰。” 他谈及了微软自身的转型历程，“最早，我们收购过网络广告公司aQuantive，后来又收购了诺基亚，直到最后，我们发现方向搞错了。我们不应该转型成为互联网企业，而是吸取互联网精神，就是不断创新，不断迭代。” 以微软为例，它的本业和DNA是软件，落到核心产品Azure上，从操作系统到数据库等各个层面，Azure所有优势的发挥靠的都是软件。 “现在，我们的愿景是把Azure打造为世界的计算机，正是希望为企业提供的就是无处不在的计算和智能。”韦青表示。 也就是说，对于实体企业而言，不能守住本业，只是盲目创新也无法成功；对于互联网企业而言，如果不能沉心打磨产品，也同样会被分分钟取代。甚至，在混沌的竞争中，互联网的门槛更低。 四、数字化大幕刚刚拉开，启程为时不晚 不过，产品的创新只是一个开始。 如孙力所说，企业进行数字化转型是要渗透在方方面面的，不光产品要数字化，内部运营、工厂管理、营销渠道等贯穿产品的全链条都要做数字化。如此一来，才能真正实现业务的敏捷和高效，才能产生真正的商业智能。 高飞则把这个过程比喻为马拉松，他说：“其实一开始那个身位未必有我们想的那么重要，所谓的数字化或许才刚刚拉开大幕。” 这意味着，哪怕从此启程数字化，也为时不晚。“一方面，守住核心优势，另一方面，充分利用生态的优势引入最新的技术，这可能是企业转型升级的根本之道。” 总之，对抗未知的恐惧最好方式，就是自己亲历一次。 当然，我们也知道，穿越这片“无人区”时注定无法风雨无阻，新的状况可能随时出现。只有亲身穿越数字化转型这片“无人区”，才能遇见途中最曼妙壮丽的风景。 解决计算问题后，无处不在的计算和智能带来的无边界的安全问题要如何处理？ 如何让企业中的每一个人都能够与时俱进？ 面对未知与变化，企业如何能够始终保持创新力？ 一系列难题 三位嘉宾都在《刷新CTO》第10期中展开了深度的剖析与激烈探讨！

Scott is the CEO of Attunely Inc. A proven, compliant, and trustworthy machine learning platform that makes the recovery of receivables easy, seamless, and profitable. Attunely has earned recognition as one of the Best Places to work in Seattle, #29 of 50 Best Paying Companies, and #7 of 50 Best Small Companies to work for. Scott brings over 30 years of technology executive management experience in both domestic and international markets. Scott’s career spans decades of technology innovation with US WEST, Starbucks, startup Vendaria, aQuantive, and Microsoft. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inside Real Estate, a Salt Lake City-based has just acquired a pricing technology tool called dashCMA. The acquisition will further Insider Real Estate’s technology capabilities and help guide agents and brokers through the difficult pricing environment created by the pandemic. Inside Real Estate’s CEO, Ned Stringham, shares how the company made an acquisition during this time and how the real estate industry overall can embrace technology integration and learn valuable lessons to come out of this pandemic stronger than before. We also discuss trends and data in the residential real estate market and insights from the recently released  COVID-19 Industry Outlook and interactive dashboard. Ned is a recognized entrepreneur, business strategist, and technology investor. Ned earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and founded and ran Impact Partners, a management consulting firm based in Sydney Australia. He also co-founded (1998) SBI Group, a digital marketing and technology consulting firm acquired by Aquantive, where Ned joined the Board. Ned joined Inside Real Estate, as a partner in 2012 and helps shape the vision and strategic direction of the company. We talk about how real the estate industry overall can embrace technology integration and learn valuable lessons to come out of this pandemic stronger than before.  

  GritLink Our Mission - To be the go-to resource for endurance and adventure enthusiasts for finding health care and knowledge that uniquely speaks to their training lifestyle and gritty mindset.   Cortney Jacobsen has held product leadership positions at Amazon, Brightcove, and Disney. Her undergraduate majors of Classical Piano and Electrical Engineering speak to her mission to balance creativity and logic and found that a career in product management suited this quest well. She fell in love with the outdoor life when she moved to Seattle in 1998. In 2015, she started Northwest Energy Lab, a coaching service for endurance athletes. She is excited to reach more active and adventurous people through building GritLink. Joan Studley has worked at Microsoft, aQuantive, and CDK Global, and ultimately discovered skill and passion for product management. She has an underlying personal belief that we should constantly pursue knowledge and discovery, and we create a more enriched community by sharing with others.  She has participated in endurance sports for years, primarily cycling and running, which help her decompress while exploring nature. She is excited to combine her interests in connecting people and information with outdoor endurance activities thru GritLink.   We believe that active people are happy people. And happy people are healthy people. We believe that both outdoors and activity are keys to longevity. We believe it is important to help endurance athletes and adventurers stay active as much and as often as possible.

Here’s what we’re talking about this week on the GeekWire Podcast. Word leaked out this week that Uber is considering buying food-delivery service Grubhub, and it turns out there are many Seattle connections behind the possible deal, including links to Expedia and several other companies. Food delivery is a tough market to make a buck in, for companies and their drivers, so what's in the deal for Uber? Uber Eats is #2 and Grubhub is #3 in food delivery services, behind leader DoorDash. DoorDash grew its market share 42% in March while Grubhub stayed flat. Uber Eats grew 20% (it has a Starbucks contract). Seattle connections: Brian McAndrews, Grubhub board chair, is the former CEO of aQuantive and also served as a managing director at Seattle venture capital firm Madrona Venture Group. Zillow Group co-founder Lloyd Frink is also on Grubhub’s board. Frink had executive roles at Expedia where Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi cut his teeth. Australian hedge fund Caledonia Investments owns 16% of Grubhub and has large ownership in Zillow. Thousands of Jump ride-share bicycles vanished from Seattle streets recently in thelatest shakeup in the troubled mobility service field. The pandemic isn't making it easy for bike- and scooter-share companies. Will their rides return to Seattle once the pandemic is over? Thousands of brightly colored ride-share bikes have disappeared from Seattle streets as companies post losses and lay off staff. Not sure when they’ll be back but industry will look very different on other side of COVID-19 crisis: Industry will become more consolidated. Not clear if demand will return to pre-pandemic levels. Micro-mobility companies will focus on profitability. There were more than 2.2 million bike-share rides in Seattle last year, averaging more than 6,000 per day, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation. Last week, Uber invested $170 million in Lime and said it would hand its bike-share program off to Lime. Before the pandemic, Uber, Lyft, Lime, Spin, Bird, Ojo, and a handful of other companies were interested in launching electric scooter services in Seattle and elsewhere but now those plans are in limbo. Amazon unveiled a virus-zapping robot on "60 Minutes" last Sunday, but it's possible they were just trying to distract from the rest of the report, which focused on working conditions in the company's warehouses during the pandemic. We get our first look at Microsoft's new $199 Surface Earbuds and their appearance provokes some interesting reactions. Did someone say "Frankenstein's bolts?" Plus, we raise a toast to Seattle allowing restaurants to sell takeout cocktails during the pandemic. With GeekWire’s Todd Bishop, Monica Nickelsburg, Taylor Soper and John Cook. Produced by Curt Milton. Theme music by Daniel L.K. Caldwell.

We're joined by former Amazon, Microsoft and Bulletproof executive Anna Collins to discuss how high-performance organizations structure their hiring and interview processes. Whether you're a small startup or a big public company, as Anna puts it, there is no more important question than who you put "on your bus". Anna distills what she's learned across 20+ years and making thousands of hires into actionable, must-listen advice for anyone aiming to grow their organization in a high-performance manner (or on the other side, anyone looking to join a high-performance company!). Anna's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-collins-5965/ Transcript link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1PX_6bUsHJRN3eZsCH5K8m-9OfHTOuFXH ------- “I believe that structure is what is required for creativity and for humans to actually connect. If you have chaos, that is the opposite of having the ability to connect and having a good candidate experience. It's all about being human and you need the structure to facilitate that and to be productive.” – Anna Collins Be sure to follow the Acquired Podcast: Acquired.fm @AcquiredFM Let People Know You're An LP on Twitter!   Show Links: 14 Leadership Principles of Amazon 33 Competencies of MSFT   Show Bookmarks: [01:30] – Introduction of Anna Collins [08:22] – Anna's path to Business School [09:42] – Peer Mentoring and Leadership at aQuantive [13:35] – Leadership and Interviewing at Amazon / Microsoft [20:26] – Balancing Standard Process and the Human Element in Interviewing [25:05] – Anna's Interview Playbook [32:35] – Iteration of the Job Description and the pool of Available Talent [34:50] – Balancing Previous Work Experience in Interviewing and Hiring [39:37] – Anna's rules on Interviewing and Interviewee Experience [44:24] – Behavioral Interviewing and Good Questions [50:50] – Questioning with Purpose [56:00] – Last thoughts on Interviewing   People Worth Knowing: Kathy Delaney Smith (Harvard Basketball Coach) Mike Galgon (Pioneer Square Labs) Randy Wooten (former colleague) Jeff Hull Warren Buffet Jeff Bezos   Companies Mentioned in Episode:                                                                   Amazon Prime Microsoft CVS Health Harvard University US Service Academies Reserve Officer Training Corps M.I.T. Johnston & Johnston aQuantive Yahoo Bulletproof   Episode Specific Terms: Tactical Interview Questions Team vs Individual Peer Mentoring Media Buying for Clients Earning Trust Working backward (Customer Focused) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) PRFAQ (Amazon) Bar Raiser (Amazon) / As Appropriate (Microsoft) Mission, Vision, and Values Skills and Functional Knowledge Interviewing Biases Being an ‘Athlete' (Flexible / Adaptable / Coachable) Interview Panacea Pre-Brief and De-Brief

As Chief Operating Officer at Rover.com, Brent brings over 20 years of experience building and leading high-performing teams to the nation’s largest network of five-star pet sitters and dog walkers. Prior to joining Rover, Brent was president of Code Fellows, a digital trade school in Seattle. He also worked in various roles at aQuantive, as executive vice president of call products for Marchex, and as general manager of the search and display media network at Microsoft. When Brent isn’t busy making it easier for more people to have pet love in their lives, he can be found volunteering his time and energy as chairman of the board of REST (Real Escape from the Sex Trade), a faith-based organization that seeks to divert at-risk minors from being trafficked into prostitution. Brent earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Memphis, and a master’s of business administration from Vanderbilt University.

Karl Siebrecht, Co-founder and CEO of FLEXE, shares how he went from being a Diving Officer in the U.S. Navy to becoming a serial entrepreneur. Prior to co-founding FLEXE, Karl was the President at aQuantive and the President and CEO of AdReady. Following a tenure in Ad Tech, a discussion among friends sparked the idea for creating FLEXE, the on-demand warehousing, fulfillment and logistics company founded in 2013. Now at 130 people, 1100+ warehouses and having recently completed their Series B, FLEXE is one of the fastest growing companies in Washington State. Karl discusses the lessons he learned at aQuantive and AdReady, FLEXE company culture, and what they look for during their hiring process. He also talks about his family, why he chose to go to Duke and Dartmouth, his favorite books, and his dream of building a company where people say “that’s the best company I ever worked for.”

Karl Siebrecht is the co-founder and CEO of Flexe. He is a seasoned technology executive, with leadership experience in both startups and large, global corporations. Prior to co-founding FLEXE, Karl was CEO of AdReady, a Seattle-based advertising technology company. He is also a founding Board member of EnergySavvy, a SaaS-based solution for energy efficiency management. Previously, Karl was President of Atlas at aQuantive, before its $6B acquisition by Microsoft, and earlier in his career, he was a Manager at Bain & Company in Boston and a Diving Officer in the U.S. Navy.Discover more details here.Some of the highlights from the episode:From a diving officer to the CEO of a technology companyWhat are some of the large scale clients that you work with? Walmart, WholeGreens, Casper.On-demand warehousing vs traditional warehousing ANALOGY to cloud computing vs data centersAccountability for the goods in the warehouse – is it on Flexe or the operators?Move FAST and DON'T BREAK things!Surround yourself with great people!Follow us on:Instagram: http://bit.ly/2Wba8v7Twitter: http://bit.ly/2WeulzXLinkedin: http://bit.ly/2w9YSQXFacebook: http://bit.ly/2HtryLdSupport the show (https://www.alcottglobal.com/category/podcast/)

Karl Siebrecht is the co-founder and CEO of Flexe. He is a seasoned technology executive, with leadership experience in both startups and large, global corporations. Prior to co-founding FLEXE, Karl was CEO of AdReady, a Seattle-based advertising technology company. He is also a founding Board member of EnergySavvy, a SaaS-based solution for energy efficiency management. Previously, Karl was President of Atlas at aQuantive, before its $6B acquisition by Microsoft, and earlier in his career, he was a Manager at Bain & Company in Boston and a Diving Officer in the U.S. Navy.Discover more details here.Some of the highlights from the episode:From a diving officer to the CEO of a technology companyWhat are some of the large scale clients that you work with? Walmart, WholeGreens, Casper.On-demand warehousing vs traditional warehousing ANALOGY to cloud computing vs data centersAccountability for the goods in the warehouse – is it on Flexe or the operators?Move FAST and DON’T BREAK things!Surround yourself with great people!Follow us on:Instagram: http://bit.ly/2Wba8v7Twitter: http://bit.ly/2WeulzXLinkedin: http://bit.ly/2w9YSQXFacebook: http://bit.ly/2HtryLd

First off, we can’t talk Microsoft without acknowledging what was truly their first acquisition, MS-DOS. In 1980, after not being able to reach a license agreement with a competitor, IBM tasked Microsoft with developing or licensing an operating system for their upcoming IBM 5150 Personal Computer. Microsoft had already been hired to write the BASICprogramming language for the PC, but now they had asked for them to provide the OS to go with it. No sweat, said Microsoft… DOS, which was developed as QDOS (Quick-and-Dirty Operating System) and originally launched as 86-DOS the company Seattle Computer Products. 86-DOS had been written by Tim Paterson — the owner and operator of Seattle Computer Products, in just six weeks’ time. So rather than re-invent the wheel Microsoft paid Tim Paterson just $75,000 in the summer of 1981 for version 1.10 of 86-DOS. Upon receiving PC-DOS in July, Microsoft simply renamed it to MS-DOS 1.10and handed it off to IBM in August of 1981, who decided to license it for distribution in November of the same year. From 1981 until 1993, IBM utilized a branded version of MS-DOS on their systems, known as PC DOS… and while IBM offered alternative operating systems for its PCs throughout the years, Microsoft’s licensed version of MS-DOS was sold on more than 9 out of every 10 IBM PCs sold — thus cementing Microsoft’s place in history as a software behemoth. Microsoft had been around for five years before being award the operating system contract by IMB, and while they may have survived or even thrived without the PC-DOS eal — there is no denying that their successful sales pitch to IBM changed the trajectory of the company, and the world forever.Historic Acquisitions 1987, Microsoft acquired Forethought, which had a little know presentation program that would later be known as Microsoft PowerPoint 1997, Microsoft acquired Hotmail.com as an integral part of their push for MSN.com leading up to the release of Windows XP 2000, Microsoft acquired the Visio Corporation whose diagraming program was rebranded as Microsoft Visio 2002, Microsoft purchased Navision for their ERP (enterprise resource planning) technologies which kicked off a new division of the company, Microsoft Business Solutions which has lead us to what we now call Microsoft Dynamics 2007–2008, in escalated efforts to keep pace with Google’s massive ad revenue, Microsoft acquired aQuantive and its subsidiaries which included Avenue A/Razorefish, followed quickly by Fast Search and Transfer 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype and created a new division of the company to house the chat and VOIP solution, a move that was surprising to some due to the technology behind Skype (Delphi) 2012, acquired Yammer, an enterprise social networking service used for private communication within organizations 2013, acquired Nokia in a last ditch effort by then CEO Steve Ballmer to save Microsoft in the competitive mobile space 2014, acquired Minecraft and its parent company for $2.5 Billion, shocking the world A move that has already paid for itself ten-fold 2016, acquired business social networking platform LinkedInRecent Acquisitions There is no denying that there has been a fundamental shift by Microsoft in their recent acquisitions under star CEO Satya Nadella. It seems that the company has shifted focus to brands and technologies that fit with their existing vision, and bolster their current product and services lineup rather than acquiring outright new technologies. LinkedIn has gone on to expand its reach by acquiring: Connectifier, a machine learning technology in 2016 for business leads generation Elearning juggernaut Lynda.com in 2018 for “LinkedIn Learning” Glint, an employee improvement and engagement platform FlipGrid, an education, collaboration and video platform was acquired in mid-2018 in an effort to add further value to Microsoft’s education stack of Office 365, Minecraft, Kodu programming language, and partnerships with the likes of Code.org and Kano Computers This also ties into their 2016 acquisition of Teacher Gaming, a provider of interactive educational software GitHub was purchased in late 2018, and raised eyebrows across the world as open source defenders were shocked that their mecca had been hijacked by the evil empire Microsoft surprised the world when they began offering some premium services for free, including the coveted private Git Repos GitHub also shows that Microsoft’s recent open source plays, like becoming a Premium Sponsor of the Open Source, open sourcing many of their products, moving their repos to GitHub and the shift to open source in Azure are no marketing moves — they are in it for the long haul“We are all-in on Open Source, and that is what really brings us together with GitHub. And we’re going to operate it as an open platform for any language, any framework, any platform … providing developers with a SaaS Service.” - Satya Nadella, CEO AI — Recently Microsoft has acquired conversational AI company XOXOCO, visual AI service Lobe, industrial AI platform Bonsai, conversational AI technology from Semantic Machines and AI from Maluuba Game Studios — In recent years, Microsoft has continued to acquire prestigious and talented game studios to show their long-term commitment to the Xbox platform and gaming in general 2018 — Obsidian Entertainment, inXile Entertainment, Playground Games, Compulsion Games, Undead Labs, and Ninja Theory They have also acquired in recent years Beam (now Mixer) video game streaming, Simplygon 3D graphics optimization, AltspaceVR virtual reality and Playfab gaming backend service“I think one of the deepest values at Microsoft Research and at other labs, is creativity, creation, coming up with new ideas that have never been thought of before. Combining two sort-of well-known ideas into a whole new innovative combination that leads to a whole new concept…” -  Dr. Eric Horvitz, Technical FellowConclusion Microsoft sees the world heading to a developer-centric organism, where developers no longer exist in the bubble of technology, but they live and work and breath across all aspects of our society — including education. They know as technologies continue to evolve, we humans and the companies we work in will continue to struggle to keep pace with the rapid change — and in an effort to both lead the market, and to prepare us all — they are focusing on acquisitions to bolster their already strong platforms. Rather than re-inventing the wheel, they just add the newer and better wheels to their already fine-tuned machine. Microsoft Research and product development in general has always included taking two decent ideas and merging them together to make a great idea… and that is where I think Microsoft puts a focus on its recent acquisition strategy. Fill gaps and holes in their service, to bolster their services and platforms overall. Going back, it all is really about “DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS!” … and I for one, think that we all owe Big Steve an apology. Until next time, enjoy this parting track from YouTube user Bad Squirrel...Follow or Subscribe to Microsoft Today Patreon  Website Apple/iTunes Blubrry Breaker Facebook Google Podcasts Pocket Cast PodBean RadioPublic Spotify Stitcher YouTube Support the show.

My guest this week is Jason Trevisan, Chief Financial Officer of Boston-based IPO darling CarGurus. After funding itself for its first 8 years with less than $5 million of total venture capital, CarGurus took its $200 million business to the public markets in October at $16/share, raising $150 million customer acquisition war chest on the back of a $1.7 Billion enterprise valuation. After beating estimates for Q3, the stock sits today around $30/share, representing a market cap of over $3.2 Billion. To call their exit a home run would be a massive understatement, and Jason Trevisan was at the center of it. This will be Jason’s first big interview since the end of their quiet period, and to set expectations we did NOT talk very much about the business. My focus as always was on Jason’s personal journey, which began at Duke and ran through Bain & Company, a stint at online advertising leader aQuantive until it was acquired by Microsoft, and an extended stay as a VC at Polaris Partners, a Boston VC firm focused on growth equity investments and buyouts in Internet, technology and healthcare.

In honor of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit to the US, we talk to Lylan Masterman about Canada Venture Capital and Startups.  Lylan is an investor with White Star Capital which invests across the Atlantic.  Canadian tech -- turns out it's a much bigger topic than one might imagine.  After a botched podcast opening (he did work at aQuantive and went to Kellogg, not so much Merrill Lynch).  The VC ecosystem in Waterloo, Toronto, Montreal etc. are discussed.  Trends in VC and startups there, successful Canadian companies, and more.  Also discussed are the impacts of changing immigration dynamics on tech talent in Canada.   -- In the Something Ventured podcast Silicon Valley insider Kent Lindstrom explores the reality behind the Silicon Valley headlines as he sits down with the people who are changing the way we view the world online and beyond.

Nick Hanauer is co-founder and partner in Seattle-based venture capital firm, Second Avenue Partners. He has managed, founded and financed over thirty companies, creating aggregate market value of tens of billions of dollars. For example, he co-founded aQuantive, which sold to Microsoft for $6.4 billion, and was the first non-family investor in Amazon. He also serves as a Director for The Democracy Alliance and as a board advisor to the policy journal Democracy. He has a degree in philosophy from the University of Washington, is married with two children and lives in Seattle, Washington. At O’Reilly’s Next:Economy conference in San Francisco, the venture capitalist talks about the value of studying philosophy, his investment strategy and how to think independently. Link to it now. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

On this episode of #thePawdcast, we’re joined by our good friend and the incredibly talented Brad Aronson. Brad is the founder of the former interactive advertising agency i-FRONTIER, which was sold to aQuantive in 2002 and then Microsoft in 2007. Since his entrepreneurial journey has come to a close, he has now become an angel investor, teacher, someone that gives back to the Philadelphia community both through the local school district and Big Brothers Big Sisters, an author, and of course, most important of all, a full-time dad and husband. This episode is jammed-packed with insights, knowledge, feedback, and practical advice that as entrepreneurs, enterprises, and agencies; you can adapt into your own playbook. You won’t want to miss this! Brad Aronson’s Website: www.bradaronson.com Brad Aronson’s Twitter: www.twitter.com/bradaronson Brad Aronson's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bradaronson Brad Aronson's Facebook: www.facebook.com/Brad-Aronson-Author-Page-172730906176262/ Listen on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pawdcast/id1071470844?mt=2 Listen on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/pawdcast/episode-011-brad-aronson Watch on Blab: https://blab.im/chop-dawg-thepawdcast-with-brad-aronson-listenlogic-microsoft-and-aquantive Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/sy3vu0DHDKI About #thePawdcast — Discussing all things entrepreneurship, startups, creativity, businesses, innovations, self-awareness and everything in-between. Hosted by Joshua Davidson, Eddie Contento and Daniel DiGangi. Brought to you by ChopDawg.com.

In this podcast we discuss new Apple, Microsoft and Google products and services including Leopard, Vista, the iPhone and Google IMAP support. Gordon: Mike, this past week Apple announced it had sold 2 million copies in the first weekend (last weekend).You've got Leopard and have it installed - what are your impressions?Leopard is the sixth major release of Mac OS X and is packed with morethan 300 new features."Early indications are that Leopard will be a huge hit withcustomers,"said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Leopard's innovative features aregetting great reviews and making more people than ever think aboutswitching to the Mac."Leopard has many key innovations including the Time Machine, "aneffortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac; aredesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share filesbetween multiple Macs*; Quick Look, a new way to instantly see fileswithout opening an application; Spaces, an intuitive new feature usedto create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; abrand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files fromthe Dock; and major enhancements to Mail and iChat(R)."Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) fourth-quarter net income improved to $904million,or $1.01 a share, from a year-earlier profit of $542 million, or 62cents a share. Gordon: So - the company is doing pretty good?Among the quarter's highlights were sales of 2.16 million Macintosh PCs and 1.11 millioniPhones. Apple had the most amazing launch of the all new iPhone, andthis holiday season could be a blockbuster for the iPhone and Applerevenues. The latest iPod Touch could also rake in huge sales.Gordon: How's Microsoft doing?On October 25, 2007, Microsoft reported 27% revenue growth (over lastyear) on sales of $13.76 billion for the quarter ended September 30,2007, and the "fastest first quarter since 1999". "This fiscal year is off to an outstanding start with the fastestrevenue growth of any first quarter since 1999," said Chris Liddell,chief financial officer at Microsoft in the press release. "Operatingincome growth of over 30% also reflects our ability to translaterevenue into profits while making strategic investments for thefuture."Microsoft's businesses of Client, Microsoft Business Division, andServer and Tools grew combined revenue in excess of 20%, andexperienced robust demand for Windows Vista, the 2007 Microsoft Officesystem, Windows Server, and SQL Server."Customer demand for Windows Vista this quarter continued to buildwith double-digit growth in multi-year agreements by businesses and withthe vast majority of consumers purchasing premium editions," said KevinJohnson, president of the Platform and Services Division at Microsoft.During the quarter, Microsoft's two consumer focused divisions passedmilestones with the successful close of the company's largest everacquisition, aQuantive, and Halo 3 achieving the biggest entertainmentlaunch day in history. (Halo 3 launch eclipsed all previous videogames and movie launches)Mike: Gordon, you just bought an iPhone - how about your  impressions?Gordon's impressions.1. Easy setup2. iTunes - easy3. IMAP Google email - very nice4. Google calendar - very nice5. Address book/SIM card conversion very simple.Gordon: Any recommendations on anything I should look at/setup today?Mike's comments.

Microsoft buys aQuantive; Google acquires DoubleClick for $3.1 billion; Yahoo purchases the 80% of Right Media it doesn't already own and ad firm WPP gets 24/7 Real Media for $649 million. And that's just in the last six weeks. The common thread: All the takeover targets are online advertising companies. The race to consolidate the online advertising industry is heating up at the same time that advertisers are demanding more return on their marketing dollars. Wharton professors and others analyze how this will play out for tech companies ad companies and consumers. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.