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Yahoo R&D Chief Joins MSN Search

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the where-do-you-want-to-work-today? dept.

sriram_2001 writes "In a major hiring coup, the MSN Search blog announced that Yahoo's head of Research and Development, Dr.Gary William Flake has now joined MSN. According to Oshoma Momoh, General Manager, MSN Search, Dr.Flake will be 'responsible for bridging the innovation happening between Microsoft Research and MSN and for setting the technology vision and future direction of the MSN portal, web search, desktop search and monetization engine.' Dr.Flake is also the first person to be directly hired as a Microsoft Distinguished Engineer, an elite group that has Dave Cutler and Anders Hejlsberg among other luminaries"

22 of 112 comments (clear)

  1. Yahoo by indigeek · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I doube hiring the project manager without a technical team will bring any changes to MSN.
    Quite different from google where each of the employee is handpicked

    1. Re:Yahoo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Google are quite adept at marketing and acquiring firms with complementary offerings, but according to this analysis, Yahoo actually have a larger database of web pages than Google (who apparently inflate hit counts to make their database look larger than it is).

      I still use Google as my primary search engine, but the more I read about the company, the less I like it. If Yahoo had a Usenet database, I'd probably switch to it.

    2. Re:Yahoo by Timesprout · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Right, just like prising Anders Hejlsberg from Borland didnt bring about any changes because MS hire these brilliant people with no intention of actually getting them to do anything.

      --
      Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
      What truth?
      There is no dupe
  2. rofl by Digital+Warfare · · Score: 3, Funny

    Micrsoft has a 1337 group ?
    whats their CSS tag ?

    --
    "Sweet llamas of the Bahamas !"
    1. Re:rofl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      It's <CSS 2.x NOT SUPPORTED>.

  3. Am I the only one ?? by ThomasFlip · · Score: 2, Funny

    That thinks Dr. Flake is a really goofy name ?

    --
    If the dollar is an "I owe you nothing", then the Euro is a "Who owes you nothing." - Doug Casey
    1. Re:Am I the only one ?? by chrish · · Score: 3, Funny

      There is (or used to be; it's been a while) a Dr. Fear at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario.

      If I had a name like that, and worked at a kid's hospital, I'd be dressing up like a super hero when I had to go to work.

      --
      - chrish
    2. Re:Am I the only one ?? by gary.flake · · Score: 2, Funny

      Just for the record: I agree. That's why I often pronounce it as "Flakenstein" a la Mel Brooke's Young Frankenstein. You gotta have fun with a name like mine.

      -- GWF

      --
      The Computational Beauty of Nature
  4. Yoda sez... by Quixote · · Score: 2, Funny

    Begin, the search engine wars has.

    1. Re:Yoda sez... by deutschemonte · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Also...
      Hmm... fallen to the dark side, young Flake has.

      --
      The preceding message was based on actual events. Only the names, locations and events have been changed.
  5. Goof up by MS by indigeek · · Score: 4, Funny

    The MS blog points to the yahoo webpage and yahoo bio of the guy
    If Yahoo wanted to have fun, this is an excellent opportunity for them to replace those pages with something else. For example "Mr.So and So was born in 1980. After a mediocre education he joined Yahoo where he plays for the Crocquet and bridge teams."

  6. Microsoft's way... by BJZQ8 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Microsoft's recent way seems to be hiring what they consider "key" people from other, successful companies, hoping to transplant that success. But as one poster said, they're taking one very large black marker, and leaving the dozens of colored pencils that can produce a beautiful picture. Yahoo's search leaves much to be desired anyway; they should be hiring swaths of Google employees if they are serious.

    1. Re:Microsoft's way... by bheer · · Score: 3, Informative

      Microsoft's recent way seems to be hiring what they consider "key" people from other, successful companies

      Heh. Ironically Google's been doing this to Microsoft -- they've poached quite a few Microsofties recently: Mark Jen, Joe Beda, Adam Bosworth (via BEA), Mark Lucovsky...

      --
      Go somewhere random
    2. Re:Microsoft's way... by ddrichardson · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Of course the cynical reader may view "hoping to transplant that success" as "not fussed if the transplant is successful - as long as the organ is removed from the competition".

      --
      A thistle is a fat salad for an ass's mouth...
    3. Re:Microsoft's way... by gary.flake · · Score: 3, Funny

      I can only assume that it is on here because it has Microsoft in the title and gives the editors a chance to whip out the (frankly stupid) borg icon.

      And here I thought that this morning's edition of slashdot had been personalized just for me!

      -- GWF

      --
      The Computational Beauty of Nature
  7. What no one from Google? by i_want_you_to_throw_ · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I would be much more impressed if they had hired someone from Google. MS needs some different thinkers and if they had hired someone from Google that would have been a coup and probably better for them as a company. They do appear overall to be changing for the better all be it at a glacial pace.

    Someone from Yahoo! is fresh blood from outside the MS culture so at least it's a beginning.

    1. Re:What no one from Google? by ttys00 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Would you move from Google... to Microsoft?

      [humor]
      I don't know about you, but if the devil came up to souls on their little floating clouds in heaven and offered them all expenses paid trips to hell, I'm not sure he'd have much success.
      [/humor]

  8. all in a name by realkiwi · · Score: 2, Funny

    Does that make MSN search Flakey?

    --
    realkiwi
  9. More on Yahoo! chief! scientist! by value_added · · Score: 2, Interesting
    From a Register article on the subject:

    In stark contrast to some of his peers, Flake recently reminded us that "data is not information; information is not knowledge; knowledge is not wisdom." Asked by Gary Price if the internet would replace librarians, he replied,

    "Search engines can give you more data than you'll ever need, and a lot of valuable information as well, but they aren't even in the running when it comes to knowledge and wisdom."

    Zen and the Art of Search, it seems.

  10. In Good Company by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Dr.Gary William Flake has now joined MSN

    He'll be joining Dr. Alan U.N. Stable, Robert Bloat, Philmore Crash, Dr. Stewart Nut, and Artemis J. Clyde Frog.

  11. Re:innovations by coolcold · · Score: 2, Insightful

    na, I don't use it but there was some "news" about opera and msn's site a while ago. Just mentioning.

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    I am harvesting funny/good quotes. Please help by putting them in your sigs :)
  12. what goes on by 10am-bedtime · · Score: 2, Funny

    behind closed doors...

    • internal wet-behind-the-ears programmer newhires
      • overt messages:
      • "you are working w/ a former enemy who now is on our side"
      • "we have the greatest people working for us"
    • covert thoughts:
      • "why is he already distinguished?"
      • "feh, i can program rings around him any day"
      • "i have to learn to kiss ass yahoo style as well as usloth style now?"
      • "(wtf?)"

    internal manglement

    • overt messsages:
      • "you have control of a former enemy who now is on our side"
      • "we have deprived yahoo of a significant asset"
    • covert thoughts:
      • "we bought him, we can put him to pasture"
      • "an engineer, a member of the clueless class (snif, spit spit)"
      • "why can't i land a cushy internal liason job like that?"