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Lumiafan t1_j5h7xe6 wrote

Reply to comment by yaosio in Area 120, Google's in-house incubator, severely impacted by Alphabet mass layoffs by Last-Caterpillar-112

Let's see...

Windows Phone, Zune, Groove Music (formerly Zune), Kinect, Silverlight, Microsoft Band

These are just some of the big things Microsoft nixed in the last decade.

The old enterprise software they keep alive for years and years is generally only alive because enterprises are paying Microsoft hefty fees to do so. There's a reason why support Windows 3.1 for embedded systems ended in 2008.

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Meta_My_Data t1_j5hma60 wrote

To be fair, that stuff was totally rejected by the market and essentially dead. Even Microsoft has some shame.

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Lumiafan t1_j5hryxa wrote

Absolutely, but the point I'm trying to make is that both Google and Microsoft cut product lines that have no viable path to profitability.

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Meta_My_Data t1_j5jbqio wrote

Yes, that’s true. I think the difference is that Google tried a lot more things and really made experimentation a part of their overall culture. MS is generally more traditional in making bigger bets on a smaller product portfolio that is more “top down” driven.

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