Mike Murphy

Exclusive: Microsoft Mulls Legally Poking Facebook Over Ad Talent Raid

Kara Swisher in News on March 2, 2011 at 4:10 pm PT

Microsoft–furious over a recent talent grab of its top advertising exec by Facebook–has been considering a wide range of options, including legal action to block the move, according to sources close to the situation. While it might not come to that, tensions between the two companies, who have partnered closely in the past, are running high over the hiring of Carolyn Everson. She had been head of global ad sales at Microsoft and has been hired to be VP of global sales at Facebook.

Exclusive: Facebook Grabs Microsoft Global Ad Head Carolyn Everson

Kara Swisher in News on February 15, 2011 at 4:19 pm PT

Apparently, it’s not only in Google’s pond where Facebook fishes for talent–the social networking giant has recruited Microsoft’s global advertising head Carolyn Everson as one of its top sales execs. A Facebook spokesperson confirmed the hiring, after a query by BoomTown. The move will surely cause some tensions with the software giant, which is both a prominent partner of and investor in Facebook, especially since Everson was only hired at Microsoft last June after a long search.

Exclusive: Former Facebook Ad Head Mike Murphy Takes Senior Advisor Role at Zynga

Kara Swisher in News on January 23, 2011 at 7:02 pm PT

Mike Murphy–Facebook’s first head of advertising sales, who left the social networking giant in October to take some personal time off–seems done with relaxing. He is now taking a part-time, but significant, role at online gaming phenom Zynga to help formulate its advertising strategy. In addition, though, Murphy is also close to formalizing an additional consulting relationship with Facebook.

Longtime Facebook Biz Dev Leader Ali Rosenthal to Depart

Liz Gannes in Social on January 12, 2011 at 9:00 pm PT

Alison “Ali” Rosenthal, a veteran of the Facebook business development team, will leave the company at the end of this week, she told NetworkEffect.

Exclusive: Brandee "No Comment" Barker Finally Comments–Longtime PR Honcho Is Leaving Facebook

Kara Swisher in News on November 8, 2010 at 11:35 am PT

BoomTown usually does not get all weepy over the departure of public relations folks at Internet companies, in that cynical I’ve-seen-’em-come-and-I’ve-seen-’em-go kind of way. But the leaving of Brandee Barker from Facebook most certainly elicited a small single tear of sadness this morning, when she called into All Things Digital Global HQ to say she would no longer be tossing me her patented–and very endearing–hand-in-the-face “no comment” for the powerful social networking site. After four long and tumultuous years, she leaves Facebook Dec. 10.

Facebook's Longtime Ad Sales Head Mike Murphy to Depart Company

Kara Swisher in News on October 26, 2010 at 7:51 am PT

Mike Murphy, Facebook’s VP of Global Sales, is leaving the company. Facebook said the well-known advertising exec decided to step down in order to take some time off, which Murphy said was the case in an interview with BoomTown.

What eBay-Rich Meg Whitman Really Wants to Do Is Direct!

Kara Swisher in News on July 12, 2010 at 2:53 pm PT

It’s worth checking out an article in the New York Times today that points to a very questionable, but–as it turned out–politically savvy angel investment made by former eBay CEO and now Republican candidate for California governor Meg Whitman. The piece alleges that Whitman’s $1 million investment in late 2008 in a Hollywood entertainment company called Tools Down! Productions was done to ease a prominent Republican strategist away from working for her rival for the GOP nod. This kind of thing has happened before, of course. But what’s interesting is to see Silicon Valley’s digitally enabled moneybags step up to the very stained political table and jump right into the game.