Microsoft looks to turn search into a tech platform, says online biz head

BANGALORE: Microsoft is not only aiming for a higher market share or greater monetisation of its search properties, a segment where it trails market
leader Google by a wide margin. Instead, the world’s largest software firm is trying to turn search into a technology platform, one that helps consumers take complex decisions, says Qi Lu, Microsoft’s head of online business. And the simple way of doing a such thing, says Mr Lu, is to understand user intent behind search. Mr Lu, an Yahoo veteran who was hand-picked by Steve Ballmer to run the Redmond giant’s online services — most importantly, search — was in India to add more muscle to Microsoft’s local R&D efforts and streamline its partnership with Yahoo, which recently got regulatory approval.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/infotech/software/Microsoft-looks-to-turn-search-into-a-tech-platform-says-online-biz-head/articleshow/5829981.cms