Bonum Certa Men Certa

Microsoft Sells Part of the Company

Portions of Microsoft up for sale

Crack



Summary: Microsoft to let go of Franchise Gator; Paul Allen suffers a blow; Microsoft Stirling postponed

WHAT is a company to do when debt is just around the corner [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]? Let redundant bits go, of course. Microsoft has already laid off many employees, but it's not enough. Having just decided to shut in the attic an old expensive trophy which is Encarta (among many other products and services), Microsoft proceeds to selling Franchise Gator.

Microsoft’s digital advertising division, which includes what was formerly aQuantive, has sold off its small subsidiary Franchise Gator, to Landmark Interactive, paidContent has learned. The sale price is around $20 million.


This is also covered in the following articles, so it's apparently more than just an early/premature rumour:



There is no end to it. Rumours suggest that Microsoft might sell Razorfish because, like many other divisions, it's just not working out, both financially and technically [1, 2]. This may lead to a rapid decline in Microsoft's value.

Speaking of Microsoft and financial difficulties, its cofounder's 'baby' has entered a debt of $21,000,000,000. How quietly such things can happen.

Charter officials have said that Allen, co-founder of Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) and owner of the Portland Trail Blazers, will retain 35 percent voting control of the company, down from 91 percent. And his 51 percent stake in shares will drop to 3 percent.

Charter filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Friday in an effort to reduce its $21 billion debt by $8 billion.


More coverage can be found in:



This was pretty predictable.

And here is yet another Microsoft delay, demonstrating the vapourware tactics run deep in the company's veins.

Microsoft delays Stirling security suite until late 2009/early 2010



Microsoft had been planning to deliver its integrated security suite, codenamed “Stirling” in the first half of this year. On April 3, company officials admitted that Stirling, instead, will begin rolling out very late this year, with substantial components not coming until early 2010.


All in all, not good for Microsoft.

Recent Techrights' Posts

There Are Days or Occasions Where gemini:// Requests Almost Exceed http(s):// and Gemini Protocol Isn't Even 6 Yet
Gemini Protocol turns 6 one month from now
 
Gemini Links 18/05/2025: "Finally Upgraded" and "Rebooting"
Links for the day
Abundance of Good Code, "Just Like Air."
Richard Stallman's seminal manifesto and foundational (practical) work on GNU gave us a very solid system that facilitates productive work without concerns over spyware
Messages in TheLayoff.com Drowned Out by LLM Slop (Comments Focused on Replying to Bot-Generated Provocation)
apparently shaking hands with nazis isn't as bad as calling your git repository's main branch "master"
The Importance of Full Disclosure and Transparency Online
there will be full transparency, as always
Slopwatch: Slopfarms and Serial Sloppers Still at It
Apparently Google is too understaffed to figure that out
Links 18/05/2025: Decreased Prospects of Science Careers, Disappearance of Journalists
Links for the day
Microsofters Have a Long History Trying to Take Down Techrights by Sending Threats to Webhosts
picking on women
Links 18/05/2025: Science, Censorship and European Commission Taking on Monopoly Abuse by Microsoft
Links for the day
Gemini Links 18/05/2025: Šibenik and SFJAZZ Historical Archive
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, May 17, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, May 17, 2025
Links 17/05/2025: Microsoft Kills "Surface Laptop Studio" (More Canceled Products/Units), Groups Caution About Harms of Social Control Media
Links for the day
Gemini Links 17/05/2025: Sympathy Algorithm and SSH on Alternative Ports
Links for the day
Inviting the Founder of GNU/Linux to Events (It Only Costs His Travel Expenses) and Recalling the True Origins
It's reassuring to see belated recognition
Slopwatch: Microsoft's Anti-Linux Propaganda and Cover-up, Slopfarms Clogging Up Google News
slop-tracking activities that observe googlebombing of "Linux"
AstroTurfing by IBM in thelayoff.com is Highly Risky (and Likely Outsourced)
Microsoft did this in Reddit (and got caught), so why won't IBM too?
Links 17/05/2025: Stabber of Salman Rushdie Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison
Links for the day
The Microsofters Have Just Shared Privileged Trial Data With Microsoft
There are serious ramifications for liability accountability as Microsoft salaries sponsor these SLAPPs
Trolls With LLM Slop Are Disrupting Communications About Mass Layoffs at IBM
LLM slop to drown out the signal
Gemini Links 17/05/2025: Happier on Gemini and Manipulating Reddit
Links for the day
ComEd and Microsoft: A Mess of Spaghetti Held Together By Circus Clowns
Reprinted with permission from Ryan Farmer
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, May 16, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, May 16, 2025
Links 16/05/2025: Microsoft Sacks Pregnant Women, People Fired on Their Birthday; Adobe Censorship Failing
Links for the day
Gemini Links 16/05/2025: "Repairing Our Way out of Commodity Fetishism" and Pre-librebooted Computers
Links for the day
[Video] IBM Shakes Hands of Prince Mohammed bin Salman
handshake of loyalty
The SLAPPs From Microsofters Distract From Serious Copyright Infringement by Microsoft and Apparent Business Crimes
Aside from other issues, such as strangling women
Enshittification is Everywhere: You Pay More, the Services Get Worse
"Enshittification" is a term coined by an online friend; I increasingly use this term to describe what's happening even outside the realm of technology (which it was adopted to describe)
Microsoft Reduces Office Space Ahead of More Waves of Mass Layoffs
"The Gerstnerisation of Microsoft"
Anti-Linux FUD Produced by Microsoft LLMs to Blame "Linux" for Microsoft's Own Failures
We call out some of the worst culprits
Gemini Links 16/05/2025: Hoking GPS, Grabovac, and Tanana
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, May 15, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, May 15, 2025