RSSXobni gets cold feet over Microsoft acquisition
By Ed Oswald | Published May 1, 2008, 2:29 PM
Less than two weeks after it had agreed to be acquired by the Redmond giant, the small e-mail startup has walked away from the deal.
Negotiations had been ongoing between the two companies over the past few weeks, with an agreement reached in mid-April. Xobni distributes a plug-in for Outlook that shows how contacts are linked to one another.
The deal would have been worth about $20 million for the two-year-old company, which would have been a nice return on the $5 million in venture capital Xobni had raised from several sources.
Xobni has already begun work on a similar project for Yahoo Mail, which would offer similar features to the Outlook plug-in. In addition, it would also connect to the Xobni plug-in within Outlook to show how those contacts relate to the Yahoo contacts.
It appears, based on coverage by TechCrunch, that there was overall concern with how the product would fit into Microsoft's overall structure. While the Redmond company was asking for the Xobni team to move to Microsoft headquarters, it did not provide specifics as to what its future plans for the product were. It appears Xobni was concerned that the company's technology would become little more than another Outlook feature.
This is how it starts, should of taken the 20 mil, now you will see this feature in the next version of outlook, weather they bought you or not. They got a good look at everything that company has to offer, tech docs, patents etc.
So long xobni you would of had a future and jobs. Now its called bankruptcy.
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|I totally agree with Xobni. Walking away was a THE only right move.
EACH AND EVERY product that Microsoft acquired became a disaster, because allof them loose/lost their individuality, they unique touches, their personal touch. One of MANY examples can be iView, which MS aquired and turned into s***. Don't believe me? Search around a little bit and you'll see hundreds of unhappy users, reminiscing about the times when the program was with its original crew...
Anyhow, I'm totally on board with Xobni and gospeed to them, since MS really WOULD have made it just a usual add-on without a face, as all it's other products.
P.S. For those you haven't tried Xobni, I'd suggest you do. It's one of the VERY few (unfortunately) tools/startups that came up with an idea that has potential.
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|That or whether they wanted it to be something Outlook users could have, or a thing users of Outlook and other e-mail clients and services could have access to?
Or whether they remain an independent company or a small cogwheel in the Outlook team?
Or should they settle for $20,000,000 (actually 15, they have to return at least 5) for their idea and two years of work, or they could keep running the business successfully and potentially make more by spreading from Outlook to Yahoo and probably other clients and services?
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|so, there's a preference for being something some outlook users use to something all outlook users would have access to?
hmm...a plugin...or a feature....indeed
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|Pardon me, but I am preempting PC_Tool, here but as he would say, give it up or die.
'Cos there ain't no doubt merge so we can stifle the innovation.
Don't like it, so what get a bigger gun! We do not like this kind commie garbage!
Preference, go to Eyeran, fool!
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