back to article Axed-ya Nadella swings blade through the forest of Microsoft again

In Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's latest move to dismantle the legacy of his predecessor, Steve Ballmer, the software giant has announced that it's changing its financial reporting structure ... again. The last time Redmond reorganized how it reports its earnings to investors was in the summer of 2013. Ballmer would step aside …

  1. J. R. Hartley

    The title is no longer required.

    I was under the impression that these days basically, Microsoft = Office. Must be great having so much money to burn through while you sort your shit out.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Windows

    Imagine all the people

    Pretend you worked in a world where you had to make "the Intelligent Cloud segment" a thing to delude people into seeing your "vision" and more importantly stuff money down the front of your blouse/shirt.

    Trouble is the punters want to go further and further and expect more and more. One minute it's a fiver down your front and then it's a pony in your pants ... and you still have to grin and deliver.

    Frankly, MS: you are old and tired, rather boring and increasingly irrelevant. Try innovating again. Even buying up others who do that and putting a decent spit and polish on it as you did in the past would be nice. Your current ennuie is really boring.

    Cheers

    Jon

    PS: pony == £25, pants == trousers

    1. PNGuinn
      FAIL

      Re: Imagine all the people

      When I were a lad 'twer a ferret down yer trousers. Execs today - Pah

  3. a_yank_lurker

    Why the reshuffling of the deck chairs? Other than the top line these reshuffles make comparing previous years results murky at best. Are they trying to hide something about trends they do not want to be to obvious?

    1. Wade Burchette

      Microsoft can quickly get out of the rut they are in by going back to what made them successful to begin with. That means killing Windows 10 quickly and make Windows 11 just like Windows 7, except with the under-the-hood enhancements of Windows 8. And when I mean just like Windows 7, I mean (a) respect for your privacy, (b) a working F8 pre-boot menu without any hacks, (c) a full backup program, (d) the option to enable Aero, (e) a customization start menu that isn't pushing "apps", (f) and to stop calling programs "apps". Microsoft can also kill LibreOffice quickly if they make Office (a) with the option to have a menu bar (why does Microsoft hate giving you choices?), (b) make the price reasonable, that is to say a low-cost 3 user home and student version again.

      But it won't happen. Analysts have said mobile is the future. The same analysts who couldn't predict 12:30 at 12 noon. The same analysts who think past performance equals future performance. A multi-billion dollar company won't die overnight. But Microsoft is pissing off the wrong people, again and again. They can only do that for so long.

      1. a_yank_lurker

        Treat customers as people who have options, which they do would be a good start. Competent marketers and brand managers always remember the customer does have options. In the case of MS for Windows there is Apple, ChromeOS gaining traction with various Linux distros in the background. For many any of these are actually viable options for doing what users what to do. A smart brand manager does not anger customers to the point they actually start looking seriously at their options. Jobs and Cook at Apple seem to grasp this. Gates, Ballmer, Nadella, not so much.

    2. bobgameon

      This quarters financial report will be presented in both, the new as well as the old format so analysts can compare previous quarter/year results.

  4. Captain DaFt

    More Personal Computing segment

    Hm, interesting group there:

    Windows desktop, giving it away

    Windows mobile, can't give it away

    Surface, Doing reeeaall well now... honest!

    Xbox consoles, Dang that foot's still sore from that gunshot!

    Bing, After years of work and billions spent, We finally beat Yahoo!

    Is this where MS products go to die?

    1. Charlie Clark Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      Re: More Personal Computing segment

      Is this where MS products go to die?

      Certainly looks like it.

    2. dogged

      Re: More Personal Computing segment

      > Surface, Doing reeeaall well now... honest!

      Reporting a considerable profit, certainly.

    3. bobgameon

      Re: A Few Corrections

      Windows desktop, giving it away, but not to enterprise.

      Windows mobile, can't give it away, agree with you there.

      Surface, is actually doing well with revenues near the one billion mark last quarter.

      Xbox consoles, Xbox One while behind the PS4 is breaking every sales milestone set by the Xbox 360, which was a very successful console.

      Bing, They didn't beat Yahoo. The came to a deal with Yahoo where instead of using its own search Yahoo uses Bing search and both companies share the ad revenue. Its why you see a small "powered by bing" at the bottom of the page.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Technology Transfer in plain sight, must be obscured.

    First thing Nadella did upon becoming CEO was visit the Indian Prime Minister. Now he's making it impossible for anyone to tell what's happening financially. Soon Microsoft will be another American company run by Indians, for Indians, while creativity, profits and jobs for Americans decline.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Technology Transfer in plain sight, must be obscured.

      Well Hell, at least you'll have better support with the corporation and customer support all in one country; one throat to choke and all that. /sarcasm

      What part of multinationals do these idiots not get?

    2. Charlie Clark Silver badge

      Re: Technology Transfer in plain sight, must be obscured.

      Keep your racism to yourself.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Technology Transfer in plain sight, must be obscured.

      Goodness, gracious me!

    4. Lars Silver badge
      Coat

      Re: Technology Transfer in plain sight, must be obscured.

      So start understanding that affordable education is not socialism. Or perhaps the problem is even deeper. I had a look at a discussion (on YouTube) where an American astroboffin slightly reluctantly admitted that most of his students where Chinese. Perhaps it's all about obesity in kids.

  6. earl grey
    Devil

    They forgot the unicorn division

    To the happy home with trees and flowers and chirping birds and basket weavers who sit and smile and twiddle their thumbs and toes

  7. bobgameon

    Xbox Revenue

    To answer one of your questions. All Xbox revenues including live subscription and game sales is in the third category. Its Gaming including Xbox consoles not just Xbox consoles that's included in the category.

  8. PNGuinn
    Pint

    @ Neil M

    +1 for the pun in the title.

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