Microsoft, the software giant flush with billions of dollars in its warchest, has agreed to buy Silicon Valley semantic search engine Powerset, we’ve learned.
The purchase price is rumored to be slightly more than $100 million. An announcement is expected next month.
Powerset, of San Francisco, has developed a technology that attempts to understand the full meanings of phrases you type in while searching, and it returns results based on that understanding.
By buying Powerset, Microsoft is hoping to close the perceived quality gap with Google’s search engine. The move comes as Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer continues to argue that improving search is Microsoft’s most important task. Microsoft’s market share in search has steadily declined, dropping further and further behind first-place Google and second place Yahoo.
Google has generally dismissed Powerset’s semantic, or “natural language” approach as being only marginally interesting, even though Google has hired some semantic specialists to work on that approach in limited fashion. Google’s search results are still based primarily on the individual words you type into its search bar, and its approach does very little to understand the possible meaning created by joining two or more words together.
That’s where Powerset sees an opportunity for growth, and perhaps where Microsoft finally sees a chance to get a quality edge. However, Powerset’s technology has remained controversial to people within the industry because, while sexy in theory, the natural language approach is difficult to pull off in practice. Skeptics wonder if the technology can ever be developed enough to be useful within a major search engine. That skepticism abounded during a long secretive stage in Powerset’s development, but the company did launch its service last month to the public, so it’s there for full view. You can use it to search for items within Wikipedia, and we’ve previously outlined various instances where it can be useful.
The Microsoft purchase appears to validate Powerset’s technology, though the amount of the purchase is clearly less than Powerset’s investors had originally hoped for. Powerset was valued at a whopping $42.5 million after the first round of financing two years ago. At the time, investors expected that new technology it was acquiring from PARC would help it make significant breakthroughs. However, the technology has taken longer to develop than expected. Powerset was also burning cash at a fast rate, and so a purchase at $100 million is considered a safe result for an area that is also seeing increasing competition (players such as Hakia, Twine and TextDigger are all using similar approaches).
Rumors of Microsoft’s interest in Powerset first surfaced a month ago in a piece by CNET’s Dan Farber.
The deal does make sense for Microsoft, which has been trying to figure out its strategy in search since the rebuff of its purchase offer by Yahoo. Many analysts saw Yahoo’s advertising platform, not its search technology, as the main reason for Microsoft’s interest. However, Microsoft was left with $50 billion burning a hole in its pocket, and making technology acquisitons makes sense. Also, Yahoo’s search technology is one reason why its ad business is so vibrant. “The most important application for the foreseeable future is search,” Microsoft’s Ballmer said last week. “We don’t have to dominate, but we’d better have a darn good chunk of the search market over time, and we’re working away at it.” Microsoft also recently rolled out a new “Cashback” program that offers cash back to users of its Live Search engine.
Microsoft spokesman Doug Free declined comment, saying the company does “not comment on rumors or speculation.”
Powerset chief executive Barney Pell declined comment. He’s believed to own about a third of the company. The rest is owned by investors, his two cofounders and other employees. Foundation Capital and the Founders Fund are the main investors. A shakeup last year saw one of the founders, Steve Newcomb, leave the company.
In an interview, Pell said the company remains focused on developing its service and is proud of its new application for the iPhone. He said some people have provided feedback that Powerset’s iPhone application is even more useful than the Web version. Things are so broken on the mobile web that improvements in interface such as Powerset’s search are “transformatively better on mobile devices,” he said.
In response to our question about how Google is planning to use semantics, if at all, Google gave a very similar answer to the one Google’s Director of Research Peter Norvig provided last year.
Norvig was on vacation this week, but a spokeswoman reiterated:
1. Search remains at the core of everything Google does and we are always working to improve it. We are more focused on search innovation, and have more engineers working on search than ever before. As Peter said, “We do what’s best for users now, and over the longer-term, we investigate technologies that will help in the future.”
2. I think it’s important to first note that semantic search is very broad and means different things to different people. As Peter mentioned in his interview with you, there are a couple of examples we can point out that incorporate a form of semantic search:
- Fill-in-the-blank search (see here).
- Question answering (see here; it gives a factual answer at the top of the page).
[Check out MobileBeat, our mobile conference on July 24. Early bird tickets end tomorrow. Vote for your favorite mobile application or service company.]
Tags: co:microsoft, co:powerset
2:40 pm
Report: Microsoft to Acquire Powerset Natural Language Search Engine for $100M+ said:
[...] much-hyped natural language search engine has been acquired by Microsoft for north of $100 million according to VentureBeat. The search engine, which presently only lets you search Wikipedia articles, works by allowing [...]
2:52 pm
Microsoft To Buy Powerset? Not Just Yet. said:
[...] is reporting that Microsoft has agreed to buy semantic search engeine Powerset for somewhere around $100 [...]
2:53 pm
Report: Microsoft to buy Powerset « IT Spot said:
[...] Microsoft is close to buying search engine Powerset for $100 million or more, according to technology Web site VentureBeat. [...]
2:58 pm
Powerset: a Hail Mary pass for MSFT? » mathewingram.com/work | said:
[...] Marshall over at VentureBeat says he has it on good authority that Microsoft is planning to make an offer for Powerset, the “semantic search” startup that has been in stealth mode for quite [...]
2:59 pm
HipMojo.com » MSFT Acquires Powerset: Lots of Foreplay, Little Action said:
[...] at a nosebleed $42.5M value when it received its Series A round, VentureBeat is reporting that Microsoft has acquired PowerSet for [...]
3:04 pm
Unfortune said:
[...] is reporting that Microsoft has agreed to buy semantic search engine Powerset for somewhere around $100 million, [...]
3:23 pm
Techzilla - Blog de Tecnologia— Arquivo » Microsoft perto de comprar Powerset said:
[...] Fonte:. Venture Bear [...]
3:25 pm
Rumor: Microsoft May Buy Powerset For Over $100 Million said:
[...] Links: Powerset website TechCrunch VentureBeat addthis_url = [...]
3:35 pm
dollars said:
[...] agreed to buy Silicon Valley semantic search engine Powerset, we??ve learned."from venturebeathttp://venturebeat.com/2008/06/26/microsoft-to-buy-semantic-search-engine-powerset-for-100m-plus/Dollar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThis article is about the type of currency for the U.S. [...]
3:47 pm
Alt Search Engines » Blog Archive » Microsoft to buy semantic search engine Powerset said:
[...] the full article HERE. var federated_media_section = [...]
4:35 pm
seriouslytech » Blog Archive » Rumor: Microsoft to Acquire Powerset for $100 Million said:
[...] Venturebeat reports that Microsoft might be close to acquiring the San Francisco based semantic search engine Powerset for about $100 Million. No announcement has been made yet by either party. We have contacted Microsoft and Powerset for confirmation and will update this post once we receive more information. [...]
4:36 pm
News About Tech from all around the world » Rumor: Microsoft to Acquire Powerset for $100 Million said:
[...] Venturebeat reports that Microsoft might be close to acquiring the San Francisco based semantic search engine Powerset for about $100 Million. No announcement has been made yet by either party. We have contacted Microsoft and Powerset for confirmation and will update this post once we receive more information. [...]
4:42 pm
netzwertig.com said:
Microsoft: Mit mehr Powerset gegen Google…
Microsoft übernimmt laut Venturebeat die Suchmaschine Powerset für eine Summe in der Größenordnung von 100 Millionen $.
Wie Matt Marshall auf Venturebeat schreibt, hat Microsoft zugestimmt, Powerset zu erwerben und wird dies nä…
4:43 pm
Microsoft to buy Semantic Search engine Powerset for $100 million dollars | Editechial said:
[...] middle of writing an editechial on the launch of Peer39, the first true semantic ad network, when a story came across my Google Reader page saying that Microsoft was purchasing Powerset for $100 million [...]
4:49 pm
Powerset is Booting Up to Microsoft - Microsoft Buying Spree Has Started « Furrier.org - Business & Technology Blog said:
[...] Powerset is Booting Up to Microsoft - Microsoft Buying Spree Has Started June 26, 2008 Posted by John Furrier in Technology. Tags: microsoft, Powerset, Venturebeat trackback As speculated here at Furrier.org first and confirmed by my sources Microsoft left the Yahoo bedroom with the intension of buying up the farm to get a foothold in search. Well folks… game is back on. Matt Marshall is reporting that Microsoft is paying north of $100 million for Powerset. . [...]
4:50 pm
Report: Microsoft to Acquire Powerset Natural Language Search for $100M+ | World News said:
[...] much-hyped natural language search engine has been acquired by Microsoft for north of $100 million according to VentureBeat. The search engine, which presently only lets you search Wikipedia articles, works by allowing [...]
5:01 pm
Rumor: Microsoft to Acquire Semantic Search Engine Powerset said:
[...] Whether this is true or just plain rumor, we’ll let you decide. Venture Beat is reporting a scoop on a possible Microsoft acquisition deal of semantic search engine Powerset. [...]
5:10 pm
BroadDev - Unified Communications, Virtualization, Security, and Web 2.0 » Microsoft to Buy Search Startup for $100 million - Semantic Search Sounds Like UC Value Proposition said:
[...] As speculated at Furrier.org first and confirmed by my sources Microsoft left the Yahoo bedroom with the intention of buying up the farm to get a foothold in search. Well folks… game is back on. Matt Marshall is reporting that Microsoft is paying north of $100 million for Powerset. . [...]
5:14 pm
Powerset gets bought by Microsoft for $100M+ - Ajay Juneja said:
[...] Powerset gets bought by Microsoft for $100M+. So - this was a soft rumor a couple months ago here in Silly Valley - and it appears it is now official - Powerset, a natural language search company, was bought by Microsoft today for $100M+.I’d like to congratulate Barney Pell, his investors, and his team at Powerset on a successful exit - I know that earlier this year, I remember seeing them sweating to get their first product shipped - which they did do, for wikipedia. If you haven’t used Powerset - give it a shot - I think it’s a fantastic tool, although I am biased given that I both know the founders and understand the technology behind it. I think this is a great validation that natural language search is getting it’s day, which is great news for Speak With Me, Inc. too! Speaking of Speak With Me, I have a lot of awesome news to share about that - news that I’m not allowed to blog about for the time being. Good things come to those who wait! [...]
5:47 pm
Microsoft To Buy Powerset? Not Just Yet. | Article Blog said:
[...] To Buy Powerset? Not Just Yet. VentureBeat is reporting that Microsoft has agreed to buy semantic search engine Powerset for somewhere around $100 million, [...]
6:40 pm
safe search said:
[...] a purchase at 100 million is considered a safe result for an area that is also seeing increasing …http://venturebeat.com/2008/06/26/microsoft-to-buy-semantic-search-engine-powerset-for-100m-plus/The swimsuit wars In my last post . . . was it really a month ago? . . . I stated that I needed to [...]
6:49 pm
.mark, anyone? | Mark Evans said:
[...] much as the ongoing Yahoo-Microsoft soap opera and Microsoft’s apparent acquisition of Powerset are dominating the headlines, a particularly fascinating development is ICANN’s [...]
6:53 pm
Top-of-mind thoughts on Microsoft and Powerset « The Guidewire said:
[...] so much: over the course of one hour, the entire landscape can be turned on its head. The rumor out of VentureBeat this afternoon, that Microsoft will acquire Powerset for $100 million next [...]
7:04 pm
TechCrunch Japanese アーカイブ » マイクロソフトがPowersetを買収か？ まだもう少し。 said:
[...] VentureBeatの報じるところによると、Microsoftが、意味検索エンジンのPowersetを$100M（1億ドル）前後で買収することに合意したという。この金額は、われわれが、同社に提示されていると以前報告した数字だ。 [...]
8:29 pm
Microsoft rumored to buy semantic search startup Powerset said:
[...] Beat reports that Microsoft will acquire Powerset for a price “rumored to be slightly more than $100 [...]
9:01 pm
Microsoft compra Powerset por $100 milhões said:
[...] notícia foi primeiro reportada pela VentureBeat, e ganhou força com o blog Mashable que tecem alguns comentários sobre as possibilidades e [...]
10:31 pm
TechCrunch en français » Microsoft sur le point de racheter Powerset? said:
[...] relate que Microsoft aurait accepté de racheter le moteur de recherche sémantique Powerset pour prés de [...]
11:19 pm
Microsoft buys Powerset search for 90 percent off Yahoo search list price [Acquisitions] | Techno Portal said:
[...] for Yahoo to buy or Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to invest in, but just enough to get Microsoft to pay 0 million. Which is considerably less what Team Redmond would have paid for Yahoo’s search business. [...]
11:29 pm
SortiPreneur said:
Powerset to MSFT?…
Rumors abound today that Powerset is getting acquired by Microsoft for about $100m. If this is true, I think it’s good news for its high profile investors, albeit at a lower valuation that they must have expected. This one almost…
11:35 pm
Microsoft to buy Semantic Search Engine? said:
[...] being floated that Microsoft is set to acquire Powerset for £50 million. By adding to their capabilities in turning unstructured data into structured data [...]
1:11 am
Microsoft podría comprar Powerset said:
[...] esta compra, Microsoft podría estar intentando reducir la distancia que el separa de Google como buscador. El CEO de la compañía, Steve Ballmer, ha [...]
1:15 am
Microsoft to buy search engine Powerset » D' Technology Weblog: Technology, Blogging, Tips, Tricks, Computer, Hardware, Software, Tutorials, Internet, Web, Gadgets, Fashion, LifeStyle, Entertainment, News and more by Deepak Gupta. said:
[...] engine Powerset Microsoft is close to buying search engine Powerset for $100 million or more, according to technology Web site VentureBeat. VentureBeat said the deal for the Silicon Valley company, which specializes in semantic, or [...]
2:02 am
meneame.net said:
Microsoft pretende comprar el buscador semántico Powerset por unos 100 millones de dólares [EN]…
El buscador semántico Powerset se basa en el tratamiento del lenguaje natural para dotar de semántica a la pregunta del usuario. La pretensión de Microsoft es poder competir con Google a partir de esta adquisición. Google, en cambio, en boca de su …
2:26 am
AntyWeb | Archiwum » Microsoft chce kupić semantycznego Google Killera said:
[...] (nie czytali przepowiedni?). Ostatnim pomysłem giganta jest kupienie serwisu powerset.com - plotki mówią o 100 milionach dolarów, ale nic jeszcze nie jest [...]
4:18 am
Rumor Mill: Microsoft Expecting $100M Powerset Acquisition to Save the Day? said:
[...] kicks things off, by telling us the deal has been done, and the purchase price $100 [...]
4:22 am
danbri’s foaf stories » Microsoft buying Powerset said:
[...] Allegedly. Powerset are natural language processing specialists. See also last year’s ISWC talk from CTO Barney Pell, “Natural Language and the Semantic Web”, discussions with Barney from last month’s Talis Semantic Web Gang chat, and earlier commentary from Paul Miller. [...]
4:49 am
Rumor Mill: Microsoft Expecting $100M Powerset Acquisition to Save the Day? | Advertising Blog said:
[...] kicks things off, by telling us the deal has been done, and the purchase price $100 million. Microsoft, the software giant flush [...]
4:58 am
Microsoft “not buying” story ends | Games & gadgets, the blog said:
[...] It’s less than a week since Microsoft said “it will not buy another Internet company” and yet, once Bill Gates left, the giand buys Powerset, a niche search engine. this is not an official thing, the source is VentureBeat. [...]
5:26 am
Microsoft will Suchmaschine ‘Powerset’ kaufen | KlonBlog said:
[...] an dem Projekt gefunden zu haben und Gerüchte über einen Kauf von Powerset machen die Runde. Laut VentureBeat soll der Kaufpreis bei mindestens 100 Mio. Dollar liegen. Offizielle Mitteilungen der beiden [...]
5:52 am
Microsoft Acquiring PowerSet for $100M? -- bub.blicio.us said:
[...] a press release in hand, I’m feeling slightly cautious about this. But VentureBeat - and just about everyone else - is reporting that Microsoft is purchasing semantic search engine [...]
6:17 am
Microsoft comprar said:
[...] de gustos, creo yo, como el gusto de que te paguen USD 100 millones por tu startup. Fuente: VentureBeat addthis_pub = [...]
6:34 am
Microsoft Says Goodbye to Gates–and is Doing Just Fine, Thank You Very Much | Business Pundit said:
[...] Venturebeat reports that Powerset, of San Francisco, has developed a technology that attempts to understand the full meanings of phrases you type in while searching, and it returns results based on that understanding. [...]
6:41 am
Microsoft Powerset: Is There a Role for Amazon? : Beyond Search said:
[...] to Buy Semantic Search Engine Powerset for $100 Million Plus”. You must read this here. The most interesting statement in the essay is: Google has generally dismissed Powerset’s [...]
7:03 am
www.ubraniaroxy.pl » Blog Archive » Microsoft To Buy Powerset? Not Just Yet. said:
[...] is reporting that Microsoft has agreed to buy semantic search engine Powerset for somewhere around $100 million, [...]
7:09 am
微软计划以 1 亿美元收购 Powerset 搜索引擎？ | LiveSino - LiveSide 中文版 said:
[...] 来源链接：Microsoft to buy semantic search engine Powerset for $100M plus 固定链接：微软计划以 1 亿美元收购 Powerset 搜索引擎？ [...]
7:32 am
The Great Geek Manual News » Microsoft to buy semantic search engine Powerset for $100M plus said:
[...] Read the Entire Story…Source: Venture Beat [...]
8:03 am
VentureBeat And Alley Insider Report Microsoft To Acquire Powerset | Pundit Watch – Track A-list Pundits From Politics, Technology and Entertainment said:
[...] VentureBeat is reporting that they have learned that Microsoft has agreed to acquire semantic search engine Powerset. Silicon Alley Insider is re-reporting the rumor. However, TechCrunch is saying that their sources are saying the deal hasn’t yet been signed (no prediction). [...]
9:31 am
despuesdegoogle » Blog Archive » Microsoft compra MobiComp y Powerset said:
[...] pero que se propugna como completo buscador en lenguaje natural. Esta otra adquisición (rumoreada en toda la blogosfera y a la que se pone el precio de 100 millones de dólares, una cantidad que se me [...]
9:40 am
Microsoft to (Finally) Acquire Powerset? Should Someone Tell Icahn? | Smart SEO said:
[...] at any internet-based acquisitions in the wake of failed talks with Yahoo. Venture Beat is now reporting that Microsoft is poised to acquire semantic search company Powerset in the neighborhood of $100 [...]
10:13 am
Linkpost | 6.27.2008 | dailytechnews.info said:
[...] Microsoft to buy semantic search engine Powerset for $100M plus - As Redmond struggles to find a strategy to match [...]
10:47 am
Startup Meme » Blog Archive » Powerset to be acquired by Microsoft for $100 million: Rumor? said:
[...] [via] Tags:acquisition google microsoft Powerset wikipedia These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
11:30 am
Microsoft non si compra Yahoo, ma si compra Powerset « MediaMeter said:
[...] nlp, powerset, ricerca semantica, semantic search, semantica Secondo quanto riportato da VentureBeat, Microsoft è prossima a chiudere l’acquisizione di Powerset per una cifra superire ai 100 [...]
11:53 am
Rumor: Microsoft to Acquire Powerset for $100 Million | What did you mean ? said:
[...] Venturebeat reports that Microsoft might be close to acquiring the San Francisco based semantic search engine Powerset for about $100 Million. No announcement has been made yet by either party. We contacted Microsoft, but did not get an answer beyond “Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation.” We will update this post once we receive more information. [...]
4:48 pm
Microsoft To Buy Powerset? Not Just Yet.: tech product reviews, tech news, daily videos, free downloads, and podcasts, tech, products, computer, mp3 players, cell phones, digital cameras said:
[...] computer, mp3player, camera, mobiles, Blogroll, gadget, news, Uncategorized VentureBeat is reporting that Microsoft has agreed to buy semantic search engine Powerset for somewhere around $100 million, [...]
6:56 pm
iconofy: digerati in sydney » Web 3 Buzzversion said:
[...] read this morning on VentureBeat that Microsoft is buying a semantic search company. Whilst Google still dismisses semantic search I [...]
10:02 pm
Microsoft To Buy Powerset? Not Just Yet. : New Web 2.0 Magazine said:
[...] is reporting that Microsoft has agreed to buy semantic search engine Powerset for somewhere around $100 million, [...]
12:04 am
The language challenge of expanding Powerset after Microsoft acquisition « Exploring Word-of-Mouth said:
[...] 28, 2008 · Ei kommentteja Matt Marshal from Venturebeat is reporting that Microsoft has agreed to acquire Powerset with a purchase price “north of $100 million dollars.” The move is an attempt to strengthen Microsoft’s position in the search market. Matt [...]
12:31 am
People Over Process » links for 2008-06-28 said:
[...] Microsoft to buy semantic search engine Powerset for $100M plus (tags: via:techmeme microsoft powerset rumors search) [...]
12:45 am
whoknows » Blog Archive » 微软将以超过一亿美金的价格收购语义搜索引擎 Powerset said:
[...] 据说微软将以超过一亿美金的价格收购语义搜索引擎 Powerset, 不过我有点怀疑, 因为好像Powerset是Java平台的, Hadoop的Hbase就是Powerset开发的(我这都是猜测), Powerset估计是运行在Hadoop平台上, 微软不会饥不择食选择自己竞争对手的平台吧? 不过微软收购Yahoo失败后, 估计有一批前沿公司会获益吧, 呵呵. [...]
2:49 am
微软打算用一亿美金买下Powerset？ - 潮流科技 said:
[...] Filed under: 科技新闻微软与雅虎的交易，看来好像是失败了，但微软的动作频频，现在又传出新的收购对象。据VentureBeat网站所提，传出微软打算用超过一亿美元，买下搜寻网站Powerset。Powerset是美国旧金山的一家搜寻引擎公司，与Google不同，所采用的技术是自然语言处理系统，预计将会在下个月正式发表声明。虽然双方对于这件事情，不做任何评论。Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments [...]
5:16 am
Microsoft kauft Powerset | Michel Rosinski said:
[...] gibt es von beiden Seiten keine offizielle Bestätigung, aber laut venturebeat.com ist Microsoft sehr an der Technologie der Suchmaschine Powerset Interessiert. Der Wert wird auf [...]
7:27 am
LarKC weblog » Blog Archive » Microsoft buys into semantics? said:
[...] business) is apparently taking semantics seriously enough to spend a bit on it. The piece at http://venturebeat.com/2008/06/26/microsoft-to-buy-semantic-search-engine-powerset-for-100m-plus/ has a rather good write-up on the different choices that Google and Microsoft are making on this [...]
1:14 pm
Microsoft quer adquirir a Powerset - um sistema de buscas semântico - Google Discovery said:
[...] posição no mercado de internet e que expandir suas operações. O último rumor, segundo o site Venture Beat, está a informação que a Microsoft está querendo adquirir a empresa de buscas semânticas [...]
6:03 pm
Semantic Web - Microsoft to buy semantic search engine Powerset for $100M plus - Venturebeat.com | Search Engine Optimization Marketing Secrets said:
[...] Semantic Web - Microsoft to buy semantic search engine Powerset for $100M plus - Venturebeat.com plugim_url = “http://www.searchmarketingsecrets.com/SearchEngineMarketingBlog/2008/06/29/semantic-web-microsoft-to-buy-semantic-search-engine-powerset-for-100m-plus-venturebeatcom/”; plugim_title = “Semantic+Web+-+Microsoft+to+buy+semantic+search+engine+Powerset+for+%24100M+plus+-+Venturebeat.com”; submit_url = “http://www.searchmarketingsecrets.com/SearchEngineMarketingBlog/2008/06/29/semantic-web-microsoft-to-buy-semantic-search-engine-powerset-for-100m-plus-venturebeatcom/”; Microsoft , the software giant flush with billions of dollars in its warchest, has agreed to buy Silicon Valley semantic search engine Powerset , we ve learned. The purchase price is rumored to be slightly more than $100 million. An announcement is Semantic Web [...]
6:54 pm
Microsoft To Buy Powerset? Not Just Yet. | NewsMeToday said:
[...] is reporting that Microsoft has agreed to buy semantic search engine Powerset for somewhere around $100 million, [...]
10:09 pm
Microsoft To Buy Powerset? Not Just Yet. | Tipstech.info said:
[...] is reporting that Microsoft has agreed to purchase semantic search engine Powerset for somewhere around $100 [...]
12:46 am
Search said:
[...] just made a 100 million acquisition of semantic search engine Powerset in its bit to improve existing Internet Searching Technologies [...]
1:15 am
keremZ said:
Powerset Is Not the Best Option for Microsoft…
Venture Beat reports that Microsoft is buying natural language search engine, Powerset for $100 million. This is the same price that TechCrunch previously reported. Some people might think that this is a good move by Microsoft to add natural-language s…
10:39 am
Microsoft to buy semantic search engine Powerset for $100M p | WebLaunches said:
[...] to buy Silicon Valley semantic search engine Powerset, we’ve learned.” from VentureBeatread more | digg [...]
10:42 pm
Breaking the Rules and Still Winning: Twitter’s Je Ne Sais Quoi « I’m Not Actually a Geek said:
[...] But to be fair, when you see YouTube picked up by Google without revenue, and Powerset purchased by Microsoft without revenue, you realize this is a rule that is getting relaxed more and [...]
11:40 pm
Microsoft to Buy, Search Engine 'Powerset'! Reality or Just a Rumor? » PageTraffic SEO Blog said:
[...] one after another, perhaps to satisfy its crumpled ego. Whatever it may be, Venture Beat has reported that Microsoft has reached a deal to acquire the semantic search engine 'Powerset'. Now [...]
7:18 am
WebbAlert - June 30, 2008 | TechTV Update said:
[...] of a remote Ethiopian town. Oh - and he’s kind of blaming the New York Times. Microsoft is apparently paying something north of a $100 million for PowerSet. I was not wowed when I tested the service out in my [...]
7:19 am
On Digital Media » Blog Archive » On Digital Media, Episode #69: Google Trends, Microsoft Spends said:
[...] Development, John Havens; VP of Product Development, Kris Smith and; Alan Levy, BlogTalkRadio CEO. Microsoft acquires semantic search company Powerset for $100+ million The Google-Yahoo deal comes under scrutiny for potential anti-trust issues Google (finally) finds [...]
12:02 pm
The Walrus Blogs » How Did I Survive One Week Offline? » Web 2.0 Museum said:
[...] no coincidence that the first Twitter post I read when connecting today was about search. It seems Microsoft is all set to by Powerset semantic search for $100 million, give or [...]
2:37 pm
hakia said:
[...] learned. The purchase price is rumored to be slightly more than 100 million. An announcement is expehttp://venturebeat.com/2008/06/26/microsoft-to-buy-semantic-search-engine-powerset-for-100m-plus/Hakia Serves Semantic Search to Businesses eWeekHakia creates a semantic search service to make it [...]
3:36 pm
Microsoft buys Powerset for $100 Million! — The Zedomax Network - Profiling Web 2.0 Companies at the Speed of Technology and Tools for Bloggers. said:
[...] via venturebeat 100 million, Acquisition, couple weeks, good luck, Microsoft, Microsoft, Search Engine, yahoo [...]
7:36 pm
Microsoft To Buy Powerset Reveals VentureBeat : Here Me Roar! said:
[...] VentureBeat.com (No Ratings Yet) Loading [...]
12:01 am
For-SearchEngine.INFO » Blog Archive » » Microsoft to (Finally) Acquire Powerset? Should Someone Tell Icahn? said:
[...] at any internet-based acquisitions in the wake of failed talks with Yahoo. Venture Beat is now reporting that Microsoft is poised to acquire semantic search company Powerset in the neighborhood of $100 [...]
12:08 pm
Confirmed: Microsoft buys search startup Powerset » VentureBeat said:
[...] You can read more of our analysis on the Powerset-Microsoft deal here. Powerset has recently published an official blog post on the deal, and so has Microsoft. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Confirmed: Microsoft buys search startup Powerset”, url: “http://venturebeat.com/2008/07/01/confirmed-microsoft-buys-search-startup-powerset/” }); Sphere It Digg this story! venturebeat227:http://venturebeat.com/2008/07/01/confirmed-microsoft-buys-search-startup-powerset/ var disqus_url = ‘http://venturebeat.com/2008/07/01/confirmed-microsoft-buys-search-startup-powerset/ ‘; var disqus_title = ‘Confirmed: Microsoft buys search startup Powerset’; var disqus_message = ‘Powerset, a search startup whose technology attempts to understand the full meaning of phrases — not just keywords, as Google does — has officially sold to Microsoft, the two companies announced today.%0AWhile terms are not being disclosed, VentureBeat founder Matt Marshall reported that the deal is worth north of $100 million when he broke the [...]%0A%0A %0A %0A ‘; View the entire comment thread. Trackback URL [...]
2:36 pm
The Semantic Web mobile edition said:
[...] it appears that the rumours were true. Powerset and Microsoft are both announcing the deal this evening, with VentureBeat also [...]
2:39 pm
Goodtimes for Powerset, Hard times for Hadoop? at GeekFun said:
[...] troubles and a recent Microsoft acquisition could be bad news for open source software that enables really large scale [...]
2:46 pm
Episode 40 7-02-08 | www.Geekazine.com said:
[...] - Register Apple Raking in the Dough - Cnet Did they listen? iPhone with a Keyboard? - Register Microsofts’ Powerset Aquisition - VentureBeat Guilty for Bittorrent - Ars [...]
10:13 pm
seriouslytech » Blog Archive » Powerset Turns Out To Not Be All That Powerful said:
[...] ho hum. Searching Wikipedia via other means was still more effective. Now comes the news (first leaked last week) that Microsoft has bought Powerset. While both sides will present this as a big win, the [...]
10:16 pm
Powerset Turns Out To Not Be All That Powerful said:
[...] ho hum. Searching Wikipedia via other means was still more effective. Now comes the news (first leaked last week) that Microsoft has bought Powerset. While both sides will present this as a big win, the [...]
3:11 pm
מנועי חיפוש ספציפיים » ITbananas said:
[...] שרכשה לאחרונה את מנוע החיפוש powerset תמורת 100 מיליון דולר (דו”ח), מצויה במקום השני עם ה Live Search, מי ולמה צריך יותר מי זה? [...]
7:27 pm
Microsoft compra la empresa de búsquedas web Powerset » El blog de KnxDT said:
[...] martes anunciando la compra del recién iniciado buscador Powerset por una cifra aún no revelada, aunque se rumorea que ésta bordea los 100 millones de [...]
1:07 am
» Blog Archiv » Powersets Problem und ihre Lösung ErkenntnisWerk said:
[...] GigaOm, VentureBeat, [...]
3:10 am
Microsoft sur le point de racheter Powerset? said:
[...] relate que Microsoft aurait accepté de racheter le moteur de recherche sémantique Powerset pour prés de [...]
1:24 pm
Microsoft Buys Semantic Search Engine Powerset ~ The Blade by Ron Schenone, MVP said:
[...] Source. [...]
1:40 am
Mejorando la publicidad online mediante el uso de tecnologías semánticas : La Cofa - Blog de Vigilancia Tecnológica said:
[...] los movimientos en este campo como la adquisición por parte de Microsoft del buscador semántico Powerset. Además, en el caso de Peer39 se observa claramente una capacidad de transformar estas [...]
5:47 am
Microsoft Buys Would-Be Google Beater Powerset said:
[...] Matt Marshall, “Microsoft to buy semantic search engine Powerset for $100M plus”, Ventur… Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and [...]
8:46 pm
Microsoft to buy semantic search engine Powerset for $100M plus » VentureBeat said:
[...] Microsoft to buy semantic search engine Powerset for $100M plus » VentureBeat [...]
2:47 am
Anonymous said:
[...]
10:22 pm
Powerset | Trendsactions said:
[...] $100M-$500M, 2008, searchAcquisition date: 07/26/2008 Acquisition info: link Price: $100M Profile: Powerset’s goal is to change the way people interact with technology by [...]
8:52 am
Bering Express » Post web 2.0 - semantisk web (og kunstig intelligens?) said:
[...] Microsoft køber semantisk søgmaskine [...]
4:21 am
Hizkuntza Teknologia Interneteko bilatzaileetan: Azkenean sartu dute! - Hizkuntza-teknologiak said:
[...] pil-pilean egon da Microsoft-ek Powerset (sarearen analisi sintaktikoa egiten ari zen bilatzailea) erosi omen duelako.Berri onak dira Hizkuntza-teknologiaren alde apustua egin [...]
8:47 pm
Our Techno Lyrics » Blog Archive » Microsoft To Buy Powerset? Not Just Yet. said:
[...] is reporting that Microsoft has agreed to buy semantic search engine Powerset for somewhere around $100 million, [...]
2:30 pm
Social game creator SGN gets funding from Amazon’s Bezos, who looks for more Web hits » VentureBeat said:
[...] those who are interested in such a list, include virtual world Second Life (as noted in comments), recently purchased semantic search engine Powerset, mobile search company ChaCha, and local teacher site TeachStreet.] Tags: co:sgn, [...]
6:48 pm
Come see The Dark Knight a day early » VentureBeat said:
[...] The screening is being put on by three startups: Xoopit, Zivity and Powerset. Xoopit makes it easier to find things in your Gmail inbox by way of search. Zivity is an adult-oriented social network focusing on beauty. And Powerset is a semantic search tool. Powerset was recently acquired by Microsoft, a story which VentureBeat broke. [...]
1:53 am
buying a search engine said:
[...] of dollars in its warchest, has agreed to buy Silicon Valley semantic search engine Powerset, …http://venturebeat.com/2008/06/26/microsoft-to-buy-semantic-search-engine-powerset-for-100m-plus/Buying Your Way In: Search Engine Advertising Chart - Search …The search engine advertising chart [...]
11:23 am
Google pushes towards 70 percent of all U.S. searches; Yahoo, Microsoft going the other way. » VentureBeat said:
[...] product doesn’t appear to be paying off for anyone expect those users it is paying. Perhaps its purchase of the semantic search site Powerset will help it fair better, but results from that are likely a long way [...]
4:02 pm
» CUIL? …e nessuno parla di Powerset?? | DoZ-log | said:
[...] si ricordi più di Powerset, il motore di ricerca co-creato da un oriundo italiano, che è stato comprato da Microsoft per 100 milioni di bei dollaroni [...]
9:12 am
The Digital Marketing Blog» Blog Archive » Cobertura de un argentino perdido en SMX Brasil said:
[...] siguió Barney Pell de Powerset, buscador semántico adquirido según rumores por 100 MM de USD por Microsoft. Barney hizo hincapie en que los buscadores actuales se manejan por [...]
1:29 am
Microsoft fails to buy Yahoo, so it buys…some European comparison shopping sites? » VentureBeat said:
[...] biggest purchase since its attempt to buy Internet giant Yahoo fell apart a few months ago. It also purchased the semantic search startup Powerset for around $100 million back in the end of [...]