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Microsoft acquires Nuance Communications for $19.7 billion

12Apr By AnkitaNo Comments

ACQUISITION

Microsoft acquires Nuance Communications for $19.7 billion

Wash., and BURLINGTON, Mass. – April 12, 2021 – Software giant Microsoft has acquired Nuance Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: NUAN) in an all-cash transaction valued at $19.7 billion. Nuance is a trusted cloud and AI software leader representing decades of accumulated healthcare and enterprise AI experience. Mark Benjamin will remain CEO of Nuance, reporting to Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Cloud & AI at Microsoft. The transaction is intended to close this calendar year. In 2020, Microsoft has accelerated its efforts to provide industry-specific cloud offerings Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare. Which aims to address the comprehensive needs of the rapidly transforming and growing healthcare industry. The latest acquisition announcement will help Microsoft’s industry-speci...

Microsoft Wins $22 Billion Deal to make VR Headsets for US Army

2Apr By AnkitaNo Comments

USA

Microsoft Wins $22 Billion Deal to make VR Headsets for US Army

Earlier today, the United States Army announced Microsoft won its $22 billion VR headset deal. In contract Microsoft to supply U.S. Army combat troops with its augmented reality headsets including Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) program as it moves from rapid prototyping to production and rapid fielding. The IVAS headset, based on HoloLens and augmented by Microsoft Azure cloud services, delivers a platform that will keep Soldiers safer and make them more effective. The program delivers enhanced situational awareness, enabling information sharing and decision-making in a variety of scenarios. The IVAS aggregates multiple technologies into an architecture that allows the Soldier to Fight, Rehearse, and Train using a single platform. The suite of capabilities leverages e...

AI startup Databricks Raises $1 billion from Microsoft, Google & Amazon

2Feb By AdityaNo Comments

FUNDING

AI startup Databricks Raises $1 billion from Microsoft, Google & Amazon

San Francisco, Feb 2, 2021: AI startup Databricks raises $1 billion in funding in Series G round from Microsoft, Google and Amazon Web Services. Using this round of funding the startup value soar at a $28 billion valuation. Databricks is an analytics-based cloud computing platform that has 5,000 customers, including 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies. "We see this investment and our continued rapid growth as further validation of our vision for a simple, open and unified data platform that can support all data-driven use cases, from BI (business intelligence) to AI," said Ali Ghodsi, Databricks chief executive and co-founder. "Databricks helps organizations eliminate the cost and complexity that is inherent in legacy data architectures so that data teams can collaborate and...

Australian PM says Bing could replace Google

1Feb By AnkitaNo Comments

News

Australian PM says Bing could replace Google

Canberra, Feb 1, 2021: (AP) The Australian prime minister said that Microsoft was confident that it could fill the void if Google carried out its threat to remove its search engine from Australia. A Google executive told a Senate hearing last month that it would likely make its search engine unavailable in Australia if the government went ahead with plans to make tech giants pay for news content. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had since spoken to Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella about its search engine Bing filling the space. “I can tell you, Microsoft''s pretty confident” that Australians would not be worse off, Morrison told the National Press Club of Australia. “These are big technology companies and what's important to Australia, I think, is that we set the r...

Microsoft makes Work from Home permanent for some Staff

13Oct By AdityaNo Comments

News

Microsoft makes Work from Home permanent for some Staff

Houston, Oct 13th, 2020: Tech company Microsoft has decided to expand its work-from-home policy and make it permanent for some workers. The company has released the new "hybrid workplace" guidance that lays out how employees can have a more flexible remote work schedule and even relocate elsewhere in the country, while it continues to adjust to changing needs during the ongoing pandemic. Microsoft will allow employees to work from home freely for less than 50 per cent of their working week, and managers will be able to approve permanent remote work. "We will offer as much flexibility as possible to support individual work styles, while balancing business needs, and ensuring we live our culture," Kathleen Hogan, Microsoft''s chief people officer, said in a post on the official Mic...

Walmart joins Microsoft bid to acquire video app TikTok

28Aug By PriyankaNo Comments

News

Walmart joins Microsoft bid to acquire video app TikTok

Washington, Aug 28, 2020: USA based world's largest retail store Walmart set to bid with Microsoft to acquire Chinese owned video app Tiktok. Walmart made a joint acquisition bid with Microsoft to acquire TikTok US business after the US President set the deadline to stop Tiktok operation in the USA. Microsoft provides cloud computing services that help run the retailer's stores and online shopping. The two companies signed a 5-year partnership in 2018, enabling them to join forces against a shared rival, online shopping giant Amazon. Walmart said in a statement that a deal with Microsoft and TikTok could help it expand its advertising business and reach more shoppers. TikTok has gained 100 million US users. But the White House is pushing TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance to sel...

Twitter in discussion with TikTok for Acquisition

10Aug By PriyankaNo Comments

News

Twitter in discussion with TikTok for Acquisition

New York, 10th Jul 2020: According to a report, the Social media platform Twitter is in discussions for the acquisition of TikTok USA after Microsoft bid. The move of US President Donald Trump said he would ban the app in 45 days creates an opportunity for a platform like Twitter to make big in the current social media war. Trump declared Thursday that the popular Chinese video app TikTok and social network WeChat “threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.” In an executive order, Trump gave Americans 45 days to stop doing business with the platforms, effectively setting a deadline for a sale of TikTok by its Chinese parent firm ByteDance. He has also demanded that a significant portion of the sale go to the US Treasury. Microsoft has...

Microsoft in talks to acquire TikTok, Trump considers ”banning” app in US

1Aug By PriyankaNo Comments

USA

Microsoft in talks to acquire TikTok, Trump considers ”banning” app in US

Washington, Aug 1, 2020: Microsoft said they are in advance talks to acquire TikTok's US operations, even as President Donald Trump considering to ban the popular Chinese-owned video app. "We are looking at TikTok. We may be banning TikTok," Trump told reporters at the White House. India has banned as many as 106 Chinese apps, including TikTok, a move welcomed by both the administration and the lawmakers. "We may be doing some other things. There are a couple of options. But a lot of things are happening, so we'll see what happens. But we are looking at a lot of alternatives with respect to TikTok," Trump said in response to a question. Microsoft team headed by Satya Nadella is in advanced talks to acquire the US operations of TikTok. The deal could run into billions of dollars. ...

Microsoft Changes Working Strategy, Closing Physical Stores, Focuses on Online Service

26Jun By PriyankaNo Comments

News

Microsoft Changes Working Strategy, Closing Physical Stores, Focuses on Online Service

REDMOND, Wash., June 26, 2020 -- Microsoft announced a strategic change in its retail operations, including closing Microsoft Store physical locations. The company's retail team members will continue to serve customers from Microsoft corporate facilities and remotely providing sales, training, and support. Microsoft will continue to invest in its digital storefronts on Microsoft.com, and stores in Xbox and Windows, reaching more than 1.2 billion people every month in 190 markets. The company will also reimagine spaces that serve all customers, including operating Microsoft Experience Centers in London, NYC, Sydney, and Redmond campus locations. The closing of Microsoft Store physical locations will result in a pre-tax charge of approximately $450M, or $0.05 per share, to be record...

14Mar By AnkitaNo Comments

News

Bill Gates Leaves Microsoft Board

Microsoft announced that co-founder Bill Gates has left its board of directors to devote more time to philanthropy. The 64-year-old stopped being involved in day-to-day operations at the firm more than a decade ago, turning his attention to the foundation he launched with his wife, Melinda. Gates served as chairman of Microsoft's board of directors until early in 2014 and has now stepped away entirely, according to the Redmond-based technology giant. "It's been a tremendous honor and privilege to have worked with and learned from Bill over the years," Microsoft chief executive and company veteran Satya Nadella said in a release. "Bill founded our company with a belief in the democratizing force of software and a passion to solve society's most pressing challenges, and Microsof...

Microsoft unveils Xbox Series X Gaming Console

14Dec By Press Trust of IndiaNo Comments

Tech

Microsoft unveils Xbox Series X Gaming Console

Microsoft has unveiled a name and look for its new gaming console, the Xbox Series X, promising a still-more immersive experience as it fends off threats from streaming and rival Sony. The US company in June pointed to the technical abilities of its next-generation console when it announced "Project Scarlett", saying the new machine would be four times more powerful than the current Xbox One X, which launched in 2013. In a presentation at The Game Awards 2019, Microsoft showed off the tower-like new console for the first time and also unveiled a new wireless controller. It said older titles would remain compatible with the Series X, while promising a new gaming experience "where worlds are even more lifelike, immersive, responsive and surprising". Pricing is yet to be announce...

Microsoft Says Working 4 days in a Week Increases Productivity

5Nov By AdityaNo Comments

News

Microsoft Says Working 4 days in a Week Increases Productivity

In a country notorious for overwork, Microsoft Japan trialled a radical idea 'working less'. And it found that four-day weeks and other reforms both boosted sales and cut costs. The Japanese unit of the US IT giant closed its offices every Friday in August, giving all 2,300 full-time workers special leave. It also restricted meetings to a maximum of 30 minutes and encouraged online chats as an alternative to face-to-face communications. The number of participants at meetings was limited to five, and workers were also encouraged to use online communication instead of emails, it said. The results were positive, with sales per employee rising almost 40 per cent in August from a year earlier, electricity consumption down by a quarter and paper usage being cut in half. The firm ...