Attention, techies. Want a deep dive into the future of the Web, search, and online services? Then sit down with Qi Lu, the president of Microsoft’s online services division, if you ever get an opportunity.
In the meantime, you can check out this video from Lu’s talk at Microsoft New England Research & Development Center in Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA, back in May. Microsoft organized the event in partnership with Xconomy, and we all had a blast talking with Lu and listening to his insights.
Lu was personally recruited by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in late 2008, after spending a decade at Yahoo. He was brought in to revitalize Microsoft’s online efforts in search and advertising (including Bing), Web software, services, and infrastructure.
In his talk, Lu laid out what Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) is currently working on in the area of Web software and services, and how it all fits into the landscape of big trends like social media, daily deals, and mobile apps.
“The question for all of us is, what’s the structure of that new Web? What are the things that connect all those apps together? That’s where we see a great opportunity for Microsoft to take a leadership role,” Lu said.
“The Web has far outgrown its intellectual heritage. It’s a digital society. We need a richer, better way to navigate the Web, discover, and interact in a lot more compelling manner,” he continued.
You can also read about Lu’s thoughts on Microsoft’s recent $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype, as well as my writeup of some takeaways from Lu’s talk, which also includes an in-depth Q&A he did with Xconomy about Microsoft’s Web strategy. Some of the highlights include how search is a gateway to other online services, how Microsoft is positioning itself with respect to Facebook, Apple, Groupon, and (of course) Google, and how the company’s pace of innovation is crucial to its future.
Check out the video below for some highlights from Lu’s talk at Microsoft NERD.
