Robert Thomson

Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer and Ray Ozzie Live at D8

John Paczkowski in D8 on June 3, 2010 at 8:17 am PT

As an indicator of the headwinds facing Microsoft and its CEO, Steve Ballmer, today, two pieces of news last week are worth considering. The first, that Apple had overtaken Microsoft as the world’s most valuable technology company, would seem to signal Microsoft is no longer quite the driving force in technology that it once was, particularly in the consumer space. The second, word of a restructuring that will give Ballmer greater oversight of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division, indicates the company is scrambling to change this.

Sony Recruits News Corp. to Give Its Reader Line a Boost

Peter Kafka in Media on December 17, 2009 at 8:21 am PT

How do you catch up to Amazon in the e-book race it is running away with? Maybe exclusive content will help. That’s what Sony says it is trying to do with News Corp. and some of its publications. The partnership the two companies announced today won’t be nearly enough to make Sony’s Reader line competitive. But it does point in the direction both companies would like to head.

Mr. Murdoch (and the Rest of News Corp.) Go to Washington

Peter Kafka in Media on December 1, 2009 at 5:22 am PT

Another day, another “future of journalism” panel. Actually, this one, hosted by the Federal Trade Commission, is a two-day event, which is enough time to hear from three different News Corp. executives.

What's Really Behind the Rupe-a-Dope With Google and Microsoft? Here Are Five Possibilities!

Kara Swisher in News on November 24, 2009 at 4:34 pm PT

There certainly is a lot of noisy swirl of late around the escalating fight between Google and some traditional media companies over content online. The loudest voice in this fight has clearly been News Corp. kingpin Rupert Murdoch, who seemingly has not met a television interviewer of late he did not regale with tales of the search giant’s nefariousness. Murdoch has also tried to get Google’s biggest nemesis, Microsoft, involved in what has become a wrestling match over the future of news. But what’s really happening here? Here are five possibilities to consider.

Live-Blogging the "Whither Journalism" Panel With Google, HuffPo, NYT and WSJ

Shira Ovide, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on October 21, 2009 at 6:07 pm PT

It’s a face-off between new and traditional media at the Web 2.0 Summit. Representing new media, in a discussion over the future of journalism, are Federated Media’s John Battelle; Marissa Mayer, who leads Google’s search services and consumer products like Chrome; and Huffington Post CEO Eric Hippeau. Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher of the New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal’s top editor, Robert Thomson, stand in for the old guard.

D7 Video: Carol Bartz, Live and (Really) Uncensored

Beth Callaghan in D7 on May 27, 2009 at 11:27 am PT

Update: R-rated version live now! Earlier in the day, Robert Thomson joked about an 18-second expletive delay for Carol Bartz. “Do you want me to say something naughty now?” she quips as she takes the stage. She does end up dropping the much anticipated f-bomb, but much later in the interview–right before patting Kara on the knee with the disclaimer: “Don’t worry, it didn’t mean anything.”

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson: “Wireless Is the Priority of This Business”

John Paczkowski in D7 on May 27, 2009 at 8:17 am PT

Randall Stephenson is just two years into his tenure as CEO of AT&T, but faces challenges that have been decades in the making. Among them: remaking AT&T amid the steady decline of its landline business, future-proofing its business as our appetites for bandwidth grow, competing with the likes of Comcast in the cable TV market and fending off the proponents of Net neutrality who don’t care much for the idea of a two-tiered Internet. Beyond this there is the issue of continuing to build out AT&T’s wireless business, which if not iPhone-dependent, is certainly nursing a hell of a habit.

No Tech Tapeworms Here! We Update Voices Policies on All Things Digital.

Kara Swisher in News on April 20, 2009 at 12:20 am PT

As of today, we have made important changes to the All Things Digital Voices section. Why? Well, a few weeks ago, ATD was caught up in a bit of the controversy that broke out due to louder-than-usual complaints by several traditional media companies about how their content is treated on the Web. Without going into a long explanation: They expressed displeasure that some sites were misusing their content via aggregation. Those complaining included the editor-in-chief of Dow Jones, which owns this site. The ensuing debate made us realize we needed to be a lot clearer and more explicit about what we are doing in our Voices section, which includes short excerpts of third-party content from outside our site, and to make those policies more prominent and transparent. Some will disagree with the changes we have made and some will not think they go far enough. But we hope we have addressed the key issues.

Wall Street Journal Promises New Pay Sites, Someday

Peter Kafka in Media on April 8, 2009 at 9:52 am PT

My colleagues over at The Wall Street Journal have been able to convince more than a million people to pay for full access to the paper’s Web site. Can it find even more people who are willing to pay for even more online stuff? We may find out: WSJ.com is contemplating what sounds an awful lot like trade newsletters.