the reflexions insider

In the ever-shifting landscape of internet titans, the Microsoft/Yahoo! power struggle is looking more like a teenage soap opera, albeit one with billions of dollars and control of the #2 internet search position in play. But what’s more, the side effects of the struggle are starting to point to a power play for dominance of the burgeoning world of the semantic web.

Besides the posturing and very public nature of both companies’ actions, what’s most interesting — and sometimes most telling — are the investments, partnerships, and acquisitions that have been unfolding since the saga began.

One of the more recent moves was Microsoft’s acquisition of the semantic search firm Powerset, itself coming on the heels of Yahoo!’s recent announcement of its open search platform, providing some support for semantic data to third party developers.

The Powerset acquisition is more than bet-hedging against losing out on its bid for Yahoo!. What Microsoft has started to understand is that the next killer app of the web will be found in the nascent semantic technologies and standards that are only starting to take shape.

Companies large and small are starting to invest big money in semantic web research and development. But if Microsoft can spend big money buying their way to becoming a useful semantic search company before Google spends bigger money innovating to the same place, it could shift the momentum back in Microsoft’s favor in the longer term whether or not Yahoo! succumbs to Microsoft’s advances.

This is foreign territory for Microsoft — the semantic web standards on which Powerset’s technologies are built are open, non-proprietary, and thus far have been largely relegated to academics, unlike the business-focused proprietary model of Microsoft’s traditional product offerings. But casting itself as a trend-setter in this domain could both bolster Microsoft’s position in relation to Google, and give the semantic web the shot in the arm that it has thus far largely lacked.

p.s. — if you’re located in the NYC area and have an interest in semantic web technologies, check out the New York Semantic Web Meetup organized by Marco Neumann.

You must be logged in to post a comment.