Will Microsoft Sell Xbox or Bing? Microsoft’s CEO Responds

Will Microsoft sell the Xbox or Bing divisions? It has been a hot topic of speculation for as long as I can remember, particularly with regards to the Xbox division where the discussion over whether it is profitable or not underpins the “sell or keep” debate. Microsoft’s new CEO Satya Nadella responded to such speculation at Microsoft’s Code Conference in California and unsurprisingly he rubbished such speculation stating that Xbox and Bing are essential to Microsoft’s long term strategy and will be sticking around for the long-haul.

Nadella praised the success of Microsoft’s Bing which now has 30% of the search market thanks to its integration into many Microsoft products like Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Phone 8.1’s Cortana service and so on. Microsoft are also rumoured to have plans to launch Cortana onto the tablet and PC markets in the near future which could further spread the use of Bing searches. With regards to the Xbox division Nadella claimed Microsoft will not be changing anything about the Xbox division, suggesting it is business as usual.

“I have no intent to do anything different with Xbox than we are doing today,” Stated Nadella.

Furthermore, Satya Nadella went on to state software would be at the heart of future Microsoft innovation suggesting Bing will be an integral part of that.

“It is the thing that is really going to power all the experiences on all the devices today and tomorrow. In order to be in the hunt for those experiences, and get it right, you do need to from time to time build devices, so you don’t leave anything to chance,”

The rumours about the sale of the Xbox and Bing divisions were fuelled by apparent dissent among investors who wanted to see Microsoft sell off certain divisions after Steve Ballmer’s departure. Some investors have suggested Microsoft would be better off focusing on Windows and Office but Microsoft’s current CEO seems to think otherwise. Speculation even suggested that one of the potential CEO candidates before Satya Nadella was appointed, Stephen Elop, was planning to sell Xbox and Bing if he got the job. Speculation is just speculation it seems.

Source: Softpedia

Image courtesy of eTeknix