FT.com / Comment & analysis / Letters - Don’t rule out Microsoft’s chances in Google battle

FT.com / Comment & analysis / Letters - Don’t rule out Microsoft’s chances in Google battle: "Don’t rule out Microsoft’s chances in Google battle

Published: February 5 2008 02:00 | Last updated: February 5 2008 02:00

From Dr Andrew M. Wild.

Sir, Microsoft’s bid for Yahoo shows that it is finally willing to mount a significant challenge to Google, and not before time. Google totally dominates the search engine market and has a firm grip on online advertising.

Founded by two former Stanford University students, Google has seen its employee numbers grow to more than 10,000 within 10 years.

Google has been able to recruit a torrent of talented software engineers and is famed for keeping them happy by supplementing generous salaries with a wealth of perks, from free transport to exquisite food.

It ensures that employees are given the freedom to innovate and allows 20 per cent of their time to be

devoted on projects of their choosing, with little interference from the corporate machine. The company seems to be a hotbed of new ideas and makes competitors look relatively snail-like in their development process.

Microsoft has simply not been in the game, but this is not the first time it has moved from the sidelines to the centre of battle – and ultimately won.