“…[C]ut off Netscape’s air supply.”

– Paul Maritz, Vice President, Microsoft (now VMWare CEO)

Summary: Microsoft moles in the news and lessons we can learn from them

THERE are readers who sent us links about VMware repelling some of its Microsoft moles. An undisclosed former Microsoft staff covered the news, saying it might be more than just the CEO (he surrounded himself with more former Microsoft executives after he had joined). To quote:

VMware’s chief executive Paul Maritz has left the company. Rumours of a wider company shuffle keep swirling. Maritz’s next move is on everyone’s mind.

The Microsoft-occupied Nokia is somewhat similar to VMware in the sense that a CEO was appointed from Microsoft and soon thereafter more former Microsoft executives were brought in to assist the CEO. It is a form of occupation although, quite evidently, internal fights continue as some staff refuses to accept the orders or ideology of the new CEO. This was happening in Yahoo! as well and it drove away a lot of the talent. From those in Nokia who still care for Linux (and have not left or been fired) comes funding for the MeeGo startup:

With 40,000 layoffs announced in the last two years, Nokia has lost technical talent hand over fist. In response, it’s set up a number of centres in Europe, India and the US to help those faced with redundancy to find a new job, either inside or outside the company. The scheme, known as Bridge, was introduced in April 2011 and offers an entrepreneurial stream. For those with a new business idea in need of backing, the programme can lead to start-up funding and exposure to angel investors, venture capitalists and other entrepreneurs. Among the start-ups to get funding from Bridge so far is Jolla, the Finnish smartphone software company that’s taken the reins of the MeeGo, the OS that Nokia nixed last year.

40,000 lost jobs at Nokia. And some people whine when we celebrate layoffs at Microsoft, one of the most destructive companies in the 20th century. The gain of one company — even illegal gain — is often the loss of another.

A Finnish reader sent us this news link about imminent collapse of Nokia (“junk” status). He added: “Nokia didn’t decline until Elop killed it. Spinning the fault to be the iPhone is just plain wrong.” Microsoft continues to destroy companies, including Novell. Microsoft not only destroys such companies; like a parasite it takes over those companies (“hosts”) and sucks up everything that’s left in them. Remember that Microsoft sucked up Netscape’s patents, just like Novell’s. This is the highest form of insult, like claiming inheritance for one’s murder victim. █

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