Microsoft Calls Research an Investment that Pays
This New York Times column looks at research labs at the likes of IBM, Hewlett-Packard and General Electric that have been somewhat forced to become more open in the Internet era.
A second column calls the research of Microsoft more in the mold of the old Bell Labs. The story says Microsoft employs 850 Ph.D. researchers, yet younger players have taken the lead in new markets, namely Google in search and Apple in media players and smartphone technology.
The story quotes Rick Rashid, senior vice president and director of Microsoft’s research-and-development labs, saying that criticism, though, misses the mark. He says:
Microsoft doesn’t invest in basic research because of some sense of altruism. It is a sound business investment that has paid handsome dividends for the company over the years.