Erik Jorgensen

Exclusive: Exec Changes at MSN–Jorgensen to Mobile, Cahall to MSN

Kara Swisher in News on August 17, 2010 at 2:06 pm PT

Here is a memo just put out by Microsoft SVP Satya Nadella about big management changes at MSN, obtained by BoomTown. Current MSN head Erik Jorgensen will move over full-time to focus on mobile efforts and his replacement will be Ted Cahall, who most recently headed AOL’s tech efforts.

Liveblogging Microsoft Bing's Search Summit 2010: There Will Be Donuts (and Also Cream Puffs!)

Kara Swisher in News on July 13, 2010 at 10:41 am PT

After BoomTown complained at December’s search summit held by Bing about the lack of the finest pastry known to man–namely, donuts!–minions were dispatched by top Microsoft geek general Satya Nadella to fix the dire situation. And, happily, at Search Summit 2010, there on the lovely snack table were a small pile of them–which looked like Krispy Kreme to me. There were lacking the key sprinkles feature, but carb crisis averted and back to search news!

New MSN Homepage Exits Beta, Set to Be Released to All of U.S.

Kara Swisher in News on March 9, 2010 at 9:00 am PT

MSN, which launched a beta version of a radical new homepage design in November, is releasing it to all its 100 million monthly U.S. customers within the next two weeks. The wide rollout by the Microsoft portal will include a significant online marketing program on sites such as Hulu and the New York Times–although it won’t cost nearly as much as the $100 million the tech giant is spending to hawk its Bing search service.

Liveblogging Bing Demo: No Donuts, Unlikely to Pay for De-Indexing Google, but Cool New Maps

Kara Swisher in News on December 2, 2009 at 10:10 am PT

BoomTown is awaiting a passel of Microsoft execs, who will be talking about a range of new features for Bing. I will be liveblogging, but I must say, I wish there were donuts.

Bing Keeps Up the New Features Rollouts–BoomTown Will Liveblog a Microsoft Showcase at 10 am PT!

Kara Swisher in News on December 2, 2009 at 3:12 am PT

This morning, a passel of top Microsoft search execs is rolling into downtown San Francisco to show off even more new features for Bing. The rolling-stone-gathers-no-moss team at the software giant–which has been seeing some promising progress in its quest to raise its search market share with its snappy new service–has announced an ongoing series of updates since Bing was launched earlier this year. So what’s next? BoomTown has no idea, but I will be letting you know as soon as I do, via liveblogging the event, which starts at 10 am!

MSN Head Greg Nelson Moves to MicroHoo Integration Role (Yahoo Picks Morrissey)

Kara Swisher in News on November 19, 2009 at 11:03 am PT

Greg Nelson, who has had the thankless job of running MSN for Microsoft, has left that position and been given the even more thankless task of running the integration of the complex search and online advertising partnership struck by the software giant and Yahoo. Nelson’s counterpart at Yahoo, according to sources, will be Mark Morrissey, who is currently SVP of Products at the Internet giant. The pair–pictured above, with Morrissey on left, Nelson on right–will have their hands full in what will ultimately be a two-year effort. BoomTown’s title for the relationship: A Couple of White Geek Guys Sitting Around Arguing!

MSN's Bob Visse Talks About Homepage Redesign (Plus Microsoft's Videos With Designer and Execs)

Kara Swisher in News on November 3, 2009 at 8:14 pm PT

Here is a video interview BoomTown did with Bob Visse, GM of MSN Product Management today at Microsoft’s offices in San Francisco. The new MSN homepage debuts tonight with a redesign cutting clutter, adding the ability to access both Facebook and Twitter, a local focus and with Microsoft’s new Bing search service everywhere. Also, some Microsoft interviews with MSN staff about the changes.

MSN Preps for Major Renovation, Focusing on Five Verticals, as It "Does Less Better"

Kara Swisher in News on July 17, 2009 at 3:54 pm PT

The edging-ever-closer-to-consummation deal talks with Yahoo about an online advertising and search partnership and the aggressive marketing of its new Bing search service aren’t the only things going on for Microsoft’s online services business. MSN, Microsoft’s online portal, is also preparing a major redo of what U.S. and, possibly, international consumers will see, as it doubles down on five key content verticals, while cutting back on others.

Microsoft Ready to Give Up on Its Would-Be YouTube, Too

Peter Kafka in Media on June 17, 2009 at 5:27 am PT

Microsoft is willing to burn lots of cash as it stubbornly pursues its Internet strategy–it lost a staggering $575 million on its online business in the last quarter alone–but even Redmond has its limits. The company is confessing that Soapbox, the would-be YouTube it launched in 2006, is no YouTube. And it doesn’t sound that enthusiastic about keeping it going.

MSN Changes Afoot?

Kara Swisher in News on January 22, 2009 at 5:49 am PT

According to several sources, more restructuring is about to hit Microsoft’s online division as various departments are moved among and between its top execs, with changes to be announced as early as today. While BoomTown is still gathering information, it looks like longtime Microsoft exec Yusuf Mehdi, who is now in charge of marketing, online audience business development and product management for MSN and the search properties, will get more added to his portfolio, including overall business development for the online properties. Mehdi could eventually get purview over programming for MSN too, said several sources.