Rumor Microsoft buying Linden Lab

[Morgaine Alter]

Is there a thread already about this?
I searched didn't see one, if so please merge or whatever :)

one note about it on the web (http://thegamingliberty.com/index.php/2010/09/30/microsoft-buying-second-life/)

Something interesting when I read Linden Lab's management page.

Bob Komin | CFO and COO

Bob Komin is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Linden Lab. In this role, Komin will be responsible for all financial matters and controls, human resources, legal and administrative functions globally. Komin will also oversee the Second Life economy, the largest user-generated virtual goods economy in the world. Prior to joining Linden Lab, Komin was the CFO for early stage solar energy start-up firm Solexel for the past two years. Before that, he was the CFO for privately-held Tellme Networks, a voice technology that is used by more than 40 million people each month. In his seven years at Tellme, Komin helped to build the business from pre-revenue stage to over $100 million in revenue and grow its employees from 160 to 300. He was also a leader of the acquisition and integration of Tellme by Microsoft in a transaction valued at approximately $800 million. After 5 years in senior financial roles at Cincinnati Bell, Komin was the VP, Finance & Treasurer of the founding executive team of Convergys, a NYSE traded company that was formed by a spin-off and executed its $225 million IPO in 1998. Komin was responsible for raising over $2 billion in equity and debt offerings while VP, Finance & Treasurer at both of these public companies.

Komin received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in Accounting and General Science with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Oregon.

The bold part and its all speculation from me of course, I have no idea if this is true or not, there are ties to Micro Soft in some way or another.

oh I dont have another article up now but, I did read there were talks of them closing the UK office?

[Osprey Therian]

Today is the last day for Brighton.

[Roxie]

Philip take the money and run!

[JohnnyVann]

New and improved support channel!

http://cdn.venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/paperclip.jpg

[HEX BLACKTHORNE]

WAT? DID BILL GATES PROMISE TO GIVE SOMEONE 100 BILLION DOLLARS IF THEY COULD WASTE 1 BILLION IN A MONTH?

[Roxie]

WAT? DID BILL GATES PROMISE TO GIVE SOMEONE 100 BILLION DOLLARS IF THEY COULD WASTE 1 BILLION IN A MONTH?

Wish it was true. I could do it in a day.

You are thinking of the movie Brewster's Millions.

Richard Pryor inherits a fortune but to get it, he has to spend a million dollars in a month and have nothing to show for it.

[kita_dawg]

Wish it was true. I could do it in a day.

You are thinking of the movie Brewster's Millions.

Richard Pryor inherits a fortune but to get it, he has to spend a million dollars in a month and have nothing to show for it.

Give it anonymously to charity. Gone in a day. Easy.

[Lain (is Bams)]

I'm not sure if MS buying LL would fix anything or not. I mean, the Marketplace has already been trashed beyond repair, it's so fucked up I don't even like using it. What used to take 2 clicks now takes 6 and so on.

Maybe they'll close the source code, scrap the internal browser code and tether SL to IE. Won't that be fun times. I guess that would F the *nix people but MS probably won't care.

Sigh.

:bong:

[Roxie]

MS would buy it for the technology or to eliminate competition.

We are not that far away from the day when 3D virtual reality will be part of the web experience

I was talking to one of the Java heads at school, who told me that next flavor of Java will be supporting it.

Except I don't know if I would buy LL if I was Microsoft. Second Life for all it's pluses, seems like a flawed package of goods.

Might be best to start your own thing from scratch.

[Love]

MS have lost their way, but they aren't that lost.

[Morgaine Alter]

this is way still just a rumor to me
I was just curious to see what you guys heard thought and/or read.

[JohnnyVann]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEWA3xQ7pOA

[Zoot Allures]

They seem to be getting interested in the gaming community


http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2010/sep10/09-01wowbing.mspx

[Fatz]

There's nothing about SL worth buying. It would be easier for microsoft to just build their own. Generally speaking MS buys newer small companies to get tech they can use to dominate a market segment. There's no money or market in SL AND nothing difficult about the technology.

Stranger things have happened but I don't believe it. What's the point. There's no emerging market to enter and the the market that's there has been in decline for awhile now.

eta: I'm still shocked the lights are still on at LL.

[Roxie]

There's nothing about SL worth buying. It would be easier for microsoft to just build their own. Generally speaking MS buys newer small companies to get tech they can use to dominate a market segment. There's no money or market in SL AND nothing difficult about the technology.

Stranger things have happened but I don't believe it. What's the point. There's no emerging market to enter and the the market that's there has been in decline for awhile now.

eta: I'm still shocked the lights are still on at LL.

I think as a company there is not much to buy. They could pick the carcass for technology.

I think it's an emerging technology on par with what web pages were around 1993.

Someone is going to figure this out and make a ton of money.

[Kick Frenzy]

It's worth noting that this rumor was started by Tizzers, so...

[Lucifer Baphomet]

Rumour Broke here.

http://www.techeye.net/internet/microsoft-to-buy-second-life

Linden Lab, the creator of virtual playground for the single and lonely that isn't WoW, Second Life, might have been bought up by Microsoft this week.

Linden Lab is today closing its UK office. The source of the rumour is a Tweet from the Second Life community - simply saying "A little birdie told me that Microsoft may have silently offered to buy Linden Lab this week." Tizzy apparently has a connection with Woodbury.edu, a college in LA, and they know a fair few movers and shakers in the biz and software game. Worth a punt.


It was started by Tizzers Foxchase of WU.

'nuff said.

Internet trolled by moron

[Morgaine Alter]

I dont know about that web site, did you click the profile of who wrote the article?
Looks like a 13 year old.
Not saying anything neg or positive about that, just made me giggle.

Linden Lab, the creator of virtual playground for the single and lonely that isn't WoW, Second Life, might have been bought up by Microsoft this week.

Read more: http://www.techeye.net/internet/microsoft-to-buy-second-life#ixzz117KBYrQs

[Oryx Tempel]

Boy, wouldn't that be the end of open-sourcing for SL?

[Mulch]

WAT? DID BILL GATES PROMISE TO GIVE SOMEONE 100 BILLION DOLLARS IF THEY COULD WASTE 1 BILLION IN A MONTH?

bill gates doesnt run microsoft anymore

i worked the show where was given a going away present, a $15,000 atomic clock (that displayed the wrong time)

all the techs on com had a chuckle about the clock running on a windows OS

MS would buy it for the technology or to eliminate competition.

We are not that far away from the day when 3D virtual reality will be part of the web experience

I was talking to one of the Java heads at school, who told me that next flavor of Java will be supporting it.

Except I don't know if I would buy LL if I was Microsoft. Second Life for all it's pluses, seems like a flawed package of goods.

Might be best to start your own thing from scratch.

you know, html 5 shows some serious potential

http://www.kevs3d.co.uk/dev/asteroids/

[Ursula Cinquetti]

I took all my lindens out to real cash for the first time in 5 years. I can always buy them back, right?