[Ipg-smz] No Slack for you! Microsoft puts rival app on internal list of ‘prohibited and discouraged’ software – GeekWire

[Gabe Goldberg]

https://www.geekwire.com/2019/no-slack-microsoft-puts-rival-app-internal-list-prohibited-discouraged-software/

Fortune magazine commented:

Catching up on all the tech news while I was away, I was sent spiraling 
down memory lane by Friday’s GeekWire scoop that Microsoft maintains a 
list 
<https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=2e45135c567285c8dae5347e398fd72eaa23a43075068a5eab3d156877ad08f3b24fda7426764a081c265840352525490f4b654081256729> 
of “prohibited and discouraged technology.” Said list is said to ban 
popular work messaging app Slack (which we use at /Fortune/) and online 
grammar checker Grammarly, while discouraging use of Google 
<https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=2e45135c567285c80bf7c9ef167f944e4aea0fea35ac9c53cc7afd42f05f4935252a6374610d5b56a0811057d4030ee34d14d1a3d2e3c768> 
Docs, Amazon 
<https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=2e45135c567285c895a1fd2f64638dd5ab5b83d111c84e237ebb869d3ca8e10c6645730a3632b97c526cb47ce941e83c1dfc22ba784e02fd> 
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 Microsoft 
<https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=d7dbcf64e89ab6685d0736eaf0f3fd24b3ee8b15cc5d16b2d45aaf42093882a19887f3e971db3436aae53f9d85e5ce8ac4fc0d48b3699143> 
security requirements; however, we encourage use of Microsoft Teams 
rather than a competitive software.” Microsoft declined to comment to 
GeekWire.

There’s a long history of tech companies eschewing the products of their 
competitors. Google stopped its employees from using Microsoft Windows 
<https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=d7dbcf64e89ab668bea862a4a3c17c5f5cc0b0cde1eb33c141da5cc14b464d55e1c196b7f91de39efb61327d58046370c6b7e10ae3581131> 
a decade ago, also citing security issues, and Microsoft discouraged use 
of the Apple iPhone 
<https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=d7dbcf64e89ab668b2aa116f4f749379980b9bbd59befb8e34db30faa7c3a59a8bf0a3b8b98998ccbd6d24c8ea47bbc1880108bfe5213c78> 
early in the smartphone era.

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.

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 
has been to embrace other platforms 
<https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=d7dbcf64e89ab66842dc6310e44cebee15d3cb7ac153cbb0d4fb6c02cb507603c6c3523d6458c109a01002afa0571ef5042990d052b84c24> 
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 
admitted he made that all-time whopper 
<https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=d7dbcf64e89ab668dafd3d489133836e624ff0123d1a917d3f1df76f9413836edd0dfb7f3151f2e62c1fc478ddddaf50e933c58916b63fcc> 
by failing to create the mobile operating system alternative to Apple’s 
iOS. Instead, Google, where co-founder Sergey Brin was an early fan and 
avid user of the iPhone 
<https://click.newsletters.fortune.com/?qs=d7dbcf64e89ab66861ae044c902132f70cbdd48269d73372b309eb6fb1f29b20b3f12230d821ed60a66378acaf4662139d4e3f476fcf4bb0>, 
grabbed the other spot. Gates called it a $400 billion mistake.

Hopefully, history won’t repeat, despite the bans.

-- 
Gabriel Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc.       gabe at gabegold.com
3401 Silver Maple Place, Falls Church, VA 22042           (703) 204-0433
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gabegold            Twitter: GabeG0

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