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<p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.geekwire.com/2019/no-slack-microsoft-puts-rival-app-internal-list-prohibited-discouraged-software/">https://www.geekwire.com/2019/no-slack-microsoft-puts-rival-app-internal-list-prohibited-discouraged-software/</a></p>
<p>Fortune magazine commented:</p>
<p>Catching up on all the tech news while I was away, I was sent
spiraling down memory lane by Friday’s GeekWire scoop <a
href="https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=2e45135c567285c8dae5347e398fd72eaa23a43075068a5eab3d156877ad08f3b24fda7426764a081c265840352525490f4b654081256729">that
Microsoft maintains a list</a> of “prohibited and discouraged
technology.” Said list is said to ban popular work messaging app
Slack (which we use at <em>Fortune</em>) and online grammar
checker Grammarly, while discouraging use of <a
href="https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=2e45135c567285c80bf7c9ef167f944e4aea0fea35ac9c53cc7afd42f05f4935252a6374610d5b56a0811057d4030ee34d14d1a3d2e3c768"
target="_blank">Google</a> Docs, <a
href="https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=2e45135c567285c895a1fd2f64638dd5ab5b83d111c84e237ebb869d3ca8e10c6645730a3632b97c526cb47ce941e83c1dfc22ba784e02fd"
target="_blank">Amazon
</a> Web Services, and cloud security company PagerDuty. The
various rationales offered in the document cite security concerns,
but also the obvious rivalry aspects. For example: “Slack
Enterprise Grid version complies with <a
href="https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=d7dbcf64e89ab6685d0736eaf0f3fd24b3ee8b15cc5d16b2d45aaf42093882a19887f3e971db3436aae53f9d85e5ce8ac4fc0d48b3699143"
target="_blank">Microsoft</a> security requirements; however, we
encourage use of Microsoft Teams rather than a competitive
software.” Microsoft declined to comment to GeekWire.</p>
<p>There’s a long history of tech companies eschewing the products
of their competitors. Google <a
href="https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=d7dbcf64e89ab668bea862a4a3c17c5f5cc0b0cde1eb33c141da5cc14b464d55e1c196b7f91de39efb61327d58046370c6b7e10ae3581131">stopped
its employees from using Microsoft Windows</a> a decade ago,
also citing security issues, and Microsoft <a
href="https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=d7dbcf64e89ab668b2aa116f4f749379980b9bbd59befb8e34db30faa7c3a59a8bf0a3b8b98998ccbd6d24c8ea47bbc1880108bfe5213c78">discouraged
use of the Apple iPhone</a> early in the smartphone era.</p>
<p>Personally, I was sent back to my tenure at Yahoo, when CEO
Marissa Mayer only allowed use of the company’s ad-laden,
performance-challenged web client for all work email. The
proffered explanation was that the limitation would prompt
employees to offer feedback–and likely push for rapid
improvements–to help the engineers on the web email team better
the product. That happened some, but it also sapped the
productivity of people in jobs that depended on robust email
communications capabilities, like, say, salespeople–or reporters.</p>
<p>The new banned list at Microsoft is a bit surprising given that
part of CEO Satya Nadella’s successful strategy for reviving the
software giant <a
href="https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=d7dbcf64e89ab66842dc6310e44cebee15d3cb7ac153cbb0d4fb6c02cb507603c6c3523d6458c109a01002afa0571ef5042990d052b84c24">has
been to embrace other platforms</a> and abandon the
only-made-here mindset. At the very least, deeply knowing the
competition would help ensure Microsoft’s own products keep pace.
Historically, that may have been part of the problem behind what
Bill Gates just called “one of the greatest mistakes of all time.”
Appearing at an event at VC firm Village Global last week, Gates <a
href="https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=d7dbcf64e89ab668dafd3d489133836e624ff0123d1a917d3f1df76f9413836edd0dfb7f3151f2e62c1fc478ddddaf50e933c58916b63fcc">admitted
he made that all-time whopper
</a> by failing to create the mobile operating system alternative
to Apple’s iOS. Instead, Google, where co-founder Sergey Brin <a
href="https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=d7dbcf64e89ab66861ae044c902132f70cbdd48269d73372b309eb6fb1f29b20b3f12230d821ed60a66378acaf4662139d4e3f476fcf4bb0">was
an early fan and avid user of the iPhone</a>, grabbed the other
spot. Gates called it a $400 billion mistake.</p>
<p>Hopefully, history won’t repeat, despite the bans.</p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Gabriel Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc. <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:gabe@gabegold.com">gabe@gabegold.com</a>
3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042 (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegold">http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegold</a> Twitter: GabeG0
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