Anand Parthasarathy Both players have strong Research and Development teams in India
— Photos: Anand Parthasarathy and Microsoft TOWARD MERGER?: Yahoo co-founder David Filo talks to the media in Bangalore during his last visit in 2007 and (right) researchers at the Microsoft India Development Centre in Hyderabad. Bangalore: When news broke on Friday of Microsoft's Godfather-like "offer you can't refuse" to the shareholders of Internet portal leader Yahoo, there was more than average interest in India's own Silicon City, which is home to large research and development teams for both U.S.-based technology entities. Microsoft has the larger presence in India — some 5,000-strong — and the software sultan has two key R&D centres. The one in Bangalore is home to Microsoft Research, a hardcore forward-looking research team, led by P. Anandan, which has strong links with academia. It also houses a separate team that creates and supports most of the Indian language initiatives of MSN — Microsoft Network — the browser and search arm. However, the larger team of engineers is to be found in Hyderabad, where the Microsoft India Development Centre (MIDC) at Gachibowli, is the company's biggest product development group outside the United States. Headed by Srini Koppulu, one of Microsoft's longest serving development executives, the MIDC has been key to the company moving many of its flagship Windows and Office applications to the mobile phone. Yahoo has just over 1,000 India-based engineers — and since 2007, Stanford University scientist Prabhakar Raghavan, a recognised expert on Web search technology, and global head of Yahoo Research, has been guiding the efforts here. Interestingly, India has bucked the trend and made Yahoo the most popular e-mail tool in the country. The research group has created a number of local search and Indian language tools even while helping to craft the recent "OneSearch" mobile search tool, launched worldwide. "We just had to tap the great talent here," Yahoo co-founder David Filo told The Hindu on his last visit to Bangalore in 2007. "This mega bid is of course an acknowledgement of Microsoft's failure to monetise its online presence, and of the unshakable dominance of Google," comments Prasanto K. Roy, doyen of Indian technology editors and Editor-in-Chief, CyberMedia Group Publications, in a communication to The Hindu. He adds: "It is ironic that Microsoft of all companies is talking about the evils of monopoly and one-player dominance, when it says that together with Yahoo, it can offer a credible alternative. The bid is a great thing for Yahoo, for even if it does not take the offer; but chances are that it would, for it will not easily get a better offer." If the deal goes through, there will inevitably be some overlaps in the India-end of development activity, but based as it is on much-wanted skills, one need not expect that many engineers will be 'let go.' http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/03/stories/2008020355271000.htm To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
