Microsoft is Acting Like a Company That's Running Out of Money (But Still Pretends to be Wealthy in Order to Attract or Retain Shareholders)
THE next batch of Daily Links will contain a bunch of articles [1-4], the first of which was brought up in IRC a few hours ago by psydruid. This basically shows that not long after Microsoft released landmark or flagship "products" it suddenly abandons them (and their users, who paid a lot of money).
A truly wealthy (not rich in debt or rich in speculation) company would maintain commitment to users, but Microsoft is mass-sacking employees every month this year and had several waves of layoffs last month alone. It's desperately trying to cut down costs.
Just the other day someone connected to Microsoft told us that Microsoft was cutting/stopping many things internally too. It's very clear to company insiders that something is wrong and most of them want to leave, based on a leaked survey.
The old idea that people don't get fired for choosing Microsoft wrongly assumes that Microsoft is reliable and won't pull the rug from under customers' feet. We're no longer in the 1990s though. Microsoft's share in operating systems is about a quarter as Linux dominates devices.
Azure has had mass layoffs every year since 2020, yet Microsoft keeps telling shareholders that "clown computing" is growing while "Google’s numbers also show Azure had a roughly $3 billion operating loss in fiscal 2022, which ended In June" (despite several years of layoffs and cost-cutting) and Microsoft recently "tweaked" what it is reporting:
Microsoft on Wednesday lowered its cloud computing unit revenue forecast in a bookkeeping move, shifting money to its "productivity" software business. The accounting change comes as investors are wary about whether the billions Microsoft and tech rivals are spending on artificial intelligence will help or hurt bottom lines.
That was about 7 weeks ago, serving to reaffirm what we've long said about Azure and courts help confirm. █
Related/contextual items from the news:
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The Surface Duo is dead — Microsoft pulls plug on $1,500 Surface Duo 2 after just one Android OS upgrade
The Surface Duo 2 has just received its likely final security update, marking an end to Microsoft’s brief return to the smartphone market. The company originally launched Surface Duo 2 in October 2021, and promised to support the product with software updates for three years. Microsoft was only able to deliver one major Android version update in that time, a pitiful number for a $1,500 device.
Microsoft already dropped support for the original Surface Duo last year, but at least that device saw more than one major Android version update. Launching with Android 10, the original Surface Duo was updated to Android 11 and Android 12L during its lifecycle — still short of the usual three major OS updates most Android makers deliver but better than the Surface Duo 2, which launched with Android 11 and was only ever updated to Android 12L.
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Microsoft ends Surface Duo 2 support with final security update
As the Microsoft Surface Duo 2 approaches its end of life, the company has rolled out a final update for the device.
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Microsoft says its final goodbyes to the Surface Duo 2 with one last security update
The tech giant's 2021-released Surface Duo 2, which was priced at $1,500 upon release, fell down a similar path with its weak battery life, inconsistent camera performance, buggy software, and an overall clunky form factor. Now, the second-gen foldable has also reached its end of life, with Microsoft rolling out the final security update for it.
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Microsoft releases one last Android 12 update for Surface Duo 2 as it ends support
The Microsoft Surface Duo 2 is quickly approaching its end of life and as that date nears, Microsoft has just released one last Android 12 update for the device.
As opposed to foldables that ultimately won out, Microsoft’s concept for a book-style smartphone was a dual-screen device with no outer display. The well-built Surface Duo lineup was praised for its hardware and some of its concepts, but didn’t end up succeeding in part due to usability, camera, and software deficiencies.