crosscut.com : Microsoft

A Seattle software exec makes sure that the buffalo don't roam

Crosscut — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:35:01 PDT

In the 19th century, tourists used to slaughter bison herds from passing trains, blasting the big beasts into near extinction just for fun. That ugly tradition is echoed in the recent massacre of buffalo in Colorado, which has also touched off a classic confrontation over rights between two ranchers. The Northwest connection: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's John Cook points out that the man behind the recent massacre is the chairman and CEO of one of Seattle's top software companies, Jeff Hawn of Attachmate. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Educated abroad, they are France's new foreign legion

Crosscut — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:00:01 PDT

Seattle's French Underground: Today's graduates are more likely to have studied abroad, and they're more open to leaving France for career opportunities — glamorous and humble. Many of them are settling in metro Puget Sound. Part 3

Parlez-vous a software language?

Crosscut — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:01 PDT

Seattle's French Underground: Thousands have invaded metro Puget Sound, many of them in search of opportunities and attitudes in technology that simply don't exist at home in France. Part 1

What made the Seattle style of business a success

Crosscut — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:00:01 PDT

As civic icons like Safeco drift away from their Puget Sound roots, here's a look at the components of a Seattle way of doing business that built up such brands. The key was motivated employees. The poison was rapid growth.

Shanghai Surprise

Crosscut — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 05:00:01 PDT

A group with Northwest ties is aced out of a pavilion bid for Expo 2010 in China. Instead, the U.S. State Department has given the go-ahead to a team with connections to Warner Brothers and a major D.C. law firm. Now all they have to do is raise $80 million.

Conspicuous Seattle

Crosscut — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 05:00:01 PDT

A town of modest pleasures has become a city of cringe-inducing excess, even in the little things like coffee, booze, and movie tickets.

Recession alert: Put Oregon on the danger list

Crosscut — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:38:01 PDT

Marple's Pacific Northwest Letter, a bible of the Northwest economy, is predicting that Oregon, "if not yet in recession, it likely soon will be." The reasons: sectors like lumber exposed to the homebuilding recession; continued manufacturing decline in computer chips and electronic instruments, which have not fully recovered since the dot.com meltdown; and overall manufacturing decline since mid-2006.

Cheers not jeers to Speaker Chopp on the Microsoft tax concession

Crosscut — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 11:23:01 PDT

The Columbia Basin Herald this past week characterized House Speaker Frank Chopp as being a Forrest Gump, "stupid is as stupid does" villain for opposing big proposed tax breaks for Microsoft and Yahoo. The tax concession, those companies said, were necessary to keep them from fleeing Grant County, where they have huge server farms. The requests were similar to the $3.2 billion in breaks Boeing Co. got from Governor Gary Locke and the Legislature when it threatened to take some of its assembly operations elsewhere.

Jean Godden on Seattle: My, how you've changed!

Crosscut — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:00:01 PDT

The longtime columnist for Seattle's dailies casts an affectionate eye over the many sweeping transformations of the city, and wonders if all the newcomers will learn to cherish the uniqueness of the place.

We're not as mega-rich as we thought

Crosscut — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:00:01 PST

All you folks seething with envy over the fabulous wealth in the region, you can calm down a little. Not only is Bill Gates III demoted to No. 3 on Forbes' recent list of the world's billionaires; the Northwest, by my count, only places eight folks in the top 500. Nor does America hog all the wealth, as you might have imagined. Of the top 25 billionaires, only four are from the U.S. of A. They are: Warren Buffett (tops the list at $62 billion), Gates (third at $58 billion), Sheldon Adelson (the Las Vegas developer, 12th at $26 billion), and Oracle's Lawrence Ellison (14th at $25 billion). The country with the most billionaires in the top 10? India (with four).

What gives Seattle so much global sizzle?

Crosscut — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:00:01 PST

An article in the February 19 Singapore Straits Times (registration required) makes the striking observation that Seattle alone has produced approximately the same number of leading global brands as the combined population (3 billion) of Asia. On the Seattle list are: Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, Boeing, UPS, Nordstrom, Washington Mutual, Costco, and Safeco. The list from Asia (excluding Japan) is: Singapore Airlines, Lenovo, Samsung, Hundai, San Miguel, Arcelor-Mittal, Oberio, Cathay Pacific, Acer, and Thai Airways.

Slate goofs; Paul Allen does make the list of top 60 philanthropists

Crosscut — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:50:01 PST

An earlier blog item on America's top philanthropists noted that the usual Northwest big donors, notably Bill and Melinda Gates and Paul Allen, were missing this past year. Turns out Slate had missed Allen's $46 million in gifts last year, putting him 49th on the list (since corrected). A spokesman for Allen notes that the philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder has contributed nearly $1 billion in his lifetime to various charitable causes.

Seattle has a distinct and remarkable tech ecosystem

Crosscut — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:00:01 PST

In response to Margaret O'Mara's article about Silicon Valley and Seattle, let's agree that everybody understands that we must build upon our advantages and preserve our distinctiveness, as she proposes. Including John Markoff of The New York Times, who spends a lot of time both in Seattle and in Silicon Valley, and knows each region well. Let's be sure not to caricature what he said. He simply observed that Seattle is exhibiting some of the entrepreneurial success of Silicon Valley; he described some of the evidence and explored some of the reasons. (By the way, it's worth noting that he wrote a much longer piece — it got whacked severely at the last minute due to a layout change, relegating much of his work and many of his insights to the bit bucket.) We have managed to develop a tech ecosystem here — a feat that has eluded many other regions of the nation. It's distinctly our own, and it's pretty remarkable.

We are not 'the next Silicon Valley'

Crosscut — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:00:01 PST

Nor should we be. An expert on the original high-tech nexus explains why all these technology clusters are unique and not able to be imitated. Instead, Seattle should build on its local strengths while remaining a key part of the global network of technology industries.

Microsoft, Yahoo, and betrayal in China

Crosscut — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:00:01 PST

The two companies have been walking a not-so-fine line as they tap into an enormous but ethically challenged mainland Internet market. Yahoo, especially, has been deferential. Maybe their merger should have conditions.

Hey, Yahoo: Looking for a white knight? How about Exxon?

Crosscut — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 11:00:01 PST

As Microsoft gears up for a takeover battle with Yahoo, there could be an Exx factor.

Microsoft's $528 million Washington tax break

Crosscut — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 05:00:01 PST

The Redmond company makes products here but records software sales to PC makers and high-volume customers through an operation in Nevada, where there is no corporate tax. So Washington is missing out on revenue it could use for badly needed infrastructure needs — like replacement of the 520 bridge.

The merger of the century

Crosscut — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:25:01 PST

Random notes and links on the Microsoft bid for Yahoo ...

... As the day unfolds, Phase 2 of coverage will kick in for tomorrow morning's news cycle, and the focus will be on how this deal would actually work. Wait. It's already begun. Writes a BusinessWeek blogger:

But what a messy combination this will be, for months and even years to come. Maybe Yahoo is just too compelling a property for Microsoft, perennially struggling to stem the Google tide, to pass up. Clearly, Yahoo hasn’t managed to get its act together fast enough. But neither has Microsoft — even less so vs. Google than Yahoo.

Bad combination: tax breaks and Eyman initiatives

Crosscut — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:23:01 PST

The standard complaint from those who think Washington state spends too little on public services, (roads, transit, universities, schools, etc.) is to blame it on Tim Eyman and his initiatives imposing tax limits. That's true, but there's another villain: giving away surpluses through tax breaks. Bill Virgin outlines some of them in a valuable column in today's P-I

Inside the minds of Microsoft's libertarians

Crosscut — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 05:00:01 PST

The appeal of Ron Paul sheds some light on why techies are attracted to minimal government. It's like smart software.