Ben Metcalfe

Great quote

Spotted whilst reading “Hooked on Google” on SiliconValley.com:

“Google is the next Microsoft because Microsoft is the next IBM” Stephen Arnold author of ‘The Google Legacy’.

Everyone’s been spotting similarities between today’s Google and Microsoft a few years back. But I agree Microsoft is slowly becoming IBM like – and that’s not necessarily a good thing for them.

BTW: Someone who works for an IBM partner recently told me IBM only has around 4000 clients worldwide! I couldn’t believe that but he was pretty adamant about the numbers.

Sure, those 4000 may be generally high value-contracts, but the ‘churn factor‘ must be concerning. Consulting projects come to the end of their natural life, clients run out of money and rival companies poach contracts.

Disclosure: As per my disclosure policy please be aware I have been doing some on/off consultancy for a Microsoft project recently.