Nerve Endings Firing Away

Microsoft is suing Google over an employee who recently joined Google citing the erstwhile employee had violated a clause in his agreement that “precludes him from working for a competitor.”

All this while, I thought Yahoo was Google’s biggest competitor and Microsoft was safe in Redmond coding away to glory and minting money through its licensed software. I guess, even Bill Gates has nightmares of Google taking over the world and slowly obliterating other tech companies just the way they did in the dot com days. Google is primarily a portal disguised as an online service-oriented company that offers email, information sharing, and search capabilities. Microsoft is a traditional software company that sells licensed copies of operating systems and office suites among other things. They have lately started expanding into other areas but I still don’t consider Google poses a direct threat to their long-term goals as their core competencies are so different. I bet there are enough software engineers to make the world go around and keep profits pouring in. if they aren’t, India and China are constantly churning out thousands everyday.

Incidentally the employee in question is of Chinese origin and is slated to head Google’s nascent operations in China and “he had been looking to return to China, where he spent the first 11 years of his life.” He simply sounds like a disgruntled employee who wished to return to his homeland but couldn’t do so while working for Microsoft. Google knowing this insider information must have promptly dangled the “Swades” carrot. Mr. Burt of Microsoft said the company had been aware of Dr. Lee’s interest in returning to China but was unable to offer him a leadership position there that is senior enough to suit his desires. I guess they don’t value their employee enough, so why bother if he chooses to leave?

Microsoft contends that Dr. Lee has knowledge of trade secrets pertaining to the company’s search engine. Now if I was Google, I would be laughing at Microsoft and tell them that we have been in the search business long enough for people to steal secrets from us and not vice versa. Unless Microsoft can genuinely back up their claim that their search engine capabilities are seriously under threat due to Lee’s “defection”, they do not have a case. Meanwhile Google plans to stand behind their newest hire steadfastly. Let us see how this battle of giants over a little guy develops.