LXer: Microsoft keeps eye on open-source prize
 

Published at LXer:

Speaking to a standing-room only crowd of open source startups, investors and lawyers, Bill Hilf, director of platform technology strategy at the company, outlined why, from a business perspective, Microsoft is involved with open source. Microsoft views open source through the lens of "coopetition from commercial and open-source strategies at the same time," Hilf said. Coopetition, or simultaneously cooperating and competing with rivals, has long been Microsoft's broader business strategy. But Hilf gave an insight on how open source fits into this plan. "Making money matters. More importantly, making money sustainably matters. Being a successful commercial software company is very hard ... staying successful is even harder," Hilf said. "Developing coopetition strategies is a great way for growth in this environment and we're seeing that today."

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