2019年经济学人 重振雄风的微软(1)

 

Leaders

来源于《社论》版块

Microsoft

微软

Rebooted

重振雄风

What the software company’s surprising comeback can teach other tech giants

这家软件公司出人意料的东山再起能给其他科技巨头带来什么启示

It must feel good to be back on top—and this time, almost liked. Twenty years ago Microsoft was considered an evil empire, scheming for domination and embroiled¹ in a bruising² antitrust battle with America’s Justice Department. Five years ago, having dozed³ through the rise of social media and smartphones, it was derided⁴ as a doddery has-been. Now, after several stellar quarters—this month it reported revenue of $33.7bn, up by 12% year on year—Microsoft is once again the world’s most valuable listed company, worth over $1trn. How did Satya Nadella, the boss since 2014, pull off this comeback? And with American trustbusters starting on a new review of “search, social media, and some retail⁵ services online”—ie, Google, Facebook and Amazon—what can the other tech giants learn from Microsoft’s experience?

回到巅峰感觉一定很好，这一次，几乎爱惨了。20年前，微软被认为是一个邪恶的帝国，图谋垄断，并卷入了与美国司法部的激烈的反垄断斗争。五年前，随着社交媒体和智能手机的兴起，它一直在沉默，因此被嘲笑为老态龙钟。现在，在经历了几个出色的季度之后，微软再次成为世界上最有价值的上市公司，市值超过1万亿美元。2014年上任的萨蒂亚?纳德拉是如何让微软东山再起的？随着美国反垄断机构开始重新审视“搜索、社交媒体和一些在线零售服务”（指谷歌、Facebook和亚马逊），其他科技巨头能从微软的经验中学到什么？

First, be prepared to look beyond the golden goose. Microsoft missed social networks and smartphones because of its obsession⁶ with Windows, the operating system that was its main moneyspinner. One of Mr Nadella’s most important acts after taking the helm was to deprioritise Windows. More important, he also bet big on the “cloud”—just as firms started getting comfortable with renting computing⁷ power. In the past quarter revenues at Azure⁸, Microsoft’s cloud division, grew by 68% year on year, and it now has nearly half the market share of Amazon Web Services, the industry leader.

首先，准备好超越金鹅。微软错过了社交网络和智能手机，因为微软痴迷于Windows操作系统，而Windows是其主要的摇钱树。纳德拉上任后最重要的举措之一，就是取消Windows的使用。更重要的是，他还在“云”上押下重注——就在企业开始适应租用计算能力的时候。上个季度，微软云计算部门Azure的营收同比增长68%，目前其市场份额接近行业领头羊亚马逊网络服务的一半。

Second, rapaciousness⁹ may not pay. Mr Nadella has changed Microsoft’s culture as well as its technological¹¹ focus. The cult¹⁰ of Windows ordained¹² that customers and partners be squeezed and rivals dispatched, often by questionable¹³ means, which led to the antitrust showdown. Mr Nadella’s predecessor¹⁴ called Linux and other open-source software a “cancer”. But today that rival operating system is more widely used on Azure than Windows. And many companies see Microsoft as a much less threatening technology partner than Amazon, which is always looking for new industries to enter and disrupt.

其次，贪婪可能不会带来回报。纳德拉改变了微软的文化和技术重心。对Windows的狂热注定了客户和合作伙伴会受到挤压，竞争对手会被打发走，而这往往是以一种可疑的方式，这导致了反垄断的摊牌。纳德拉的上一任将Linux和其他开源软件称为“癌症”。但如今，这个竞争对手的操作系统在Azure上的应用比Windows更广泛。许多公司认为，与亚马逊相比，微软是一个威胁小得多的技术合作伙伴，亚马逊一直在寻找新的行业进入和颠覆。

1 embroiled   

adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的

参考例句：

• He became embroiled in a dispute with his neighbours. 他与邻居们发生了争执。
• John and Peter were quarrelling, but Mary refused to get embroiled. 约翰和彼得在争吵，但玛丽不愿卷入。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 bruising   

adj.殊死的；十分激烈的v.擦伤(bruise的现在分词形式)

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• He slipped and fell, badly bruising an elbow. 他滑倒了，一只胳膊肘严重擦伤。 来自辞典例句

3 dozed   

v.打盹儿，打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He boozed till daylight and dozed into the afternoon. 他喝了个通霄，昏沉沉地一直睡到下午。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• I dozed off during the soporific music. 我听到这催人入睡的音乐，便不知不觉打起盹儿来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 derided   

v.取笑，嘲笑( deride的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His views were derided as old-fashioned. 他的观点被当作旧思想受到嘲弄。
• Gazing up to the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity. 我抬头疑视着黑暗，感到自己是一个被虚荣心驱使和拨弄的可怜虫。 来自辞典例句

5 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

6 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

7 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

8 azure   

adj.天蓝色的，蔚蓝色的

参考例句：

• His eyes are azure.他的眼睛是天蓝色的。
• The sun shone out of a clear azure sky.清朗蔚蓝的天空中阳光明媚。

9 rapaciousness   

n.贪婪；强取，贪婪

参考例句：

10 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

11 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

12 ordained   

v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定

参考例句：

• He was ordained in 1984. 他在一九八四年被任命为牧师。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was ordained priest. 他被任命为牧师。 来自辞典例句

13 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。

14 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。