Amazon Foes Walmart and Microsoft Deepen Tech Partnership
Walmart and Microsoft Join Forces in Battle Against Amazon
At first glance, Walmart's announcement today that it has signed a five-year agreement with Microsoft seems like it's just a major step towards boosting its lagging online growth. But it's really a battle cry against a mutual foe: Amazon (AMZN).
The agreement gives Walmart (WMT) access to Microsoft's 365 and Azure cloud computing systems across all its lines of business, migrating some of its apps and websites to Azure. The retail giant plans to build out a worldwide Internet of Things platform with Microsoft (MSFT), connecting its stores and shipping systems to streamline its supply chain. But it's also likely to break down sales-data silos to better recommend products.
[...] In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the companies' shared rivalry with Amazon "is absolutely core to this." While Walmart is interested in cashierless checkout systems, it is pursuing its own solutions rather than using Microsoft's technology.
Is this really going to bring down Amazon or will they help bring down Walmart (ask Ford and Nokia, etc, how great it is to partner up with Microsoft).
Submitted by stupid tablet.
(Score: 4, Funny) by c0lo on Wednesday July 18 2018, @07:04AM (3 children)
Will it be like when Microsoft partnered with Nokia to take over Google/Android and Apple/iPhone?
(a good time to sell WMT?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Insightful) by MostCynical on Wednesday July 18 2018, @08:55AM
Is there a Stephen Elop equivalent here?
Which bits of Walmart can be sold to the Chinese?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday July 18 2018, @03:59PM
Nokia wasn't doing so great already when Microsoft partnered with them.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 1) by oldmac31310 on Thursday July 19 2018, @02:32PM
That point was already made in the summary.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 18 2018, @08:13AM (6 children)
It's like the farrangis and the borgs join up to go at the new borgs. And the captain picard says, "turn the page."
Or something.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 18 2018, @08:24AM (4 children)
WalMart will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 18 2018, @09:09AM (3 children)
There is, or was, and Ancient Chinese recipe for The Most Deadly Poison: put a scorpion, a centipede, and a black widow all into one container; wait until they have all stung each other to death. Apply gingerly.
Modern version: Put Microsoft, Walmart, and Monsanto all into one corporate headquarter. Run like hell.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 18 2018, @08:44PM (2 children)
Apply what? The dead bodies?
And centipedes actually aren't very poisonous. And they bite, they don't sting.
Except for the part where one of them wins and when the dust settles they own 2/3 of the Western world.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday July 18 2018, @11:04PM (1 child)
I bet you're fun at parties.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 19 2018, @06:50AM
This one, lacking in the occult arts. We will feed upon his corpse later. After the Centipede is finished.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 18 2018, @08:41PM
*Ferengi
and
It's not "the Borgs." Borg is a collective noun for the entire group consciousness.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 18 2018, @09:37AM (1 child)
Microsoft is no dummy. If things don't workout with Walmart it's OK because Walmart will now be an enterprise customer for life. After switching to all Microsoft technology and implementations, the cost of switching any non-Microsoft technology back will be too high to make it worth the cost for Walmart. They will lose some (or most) of their non-Microsoft tech people, and those folks will be hard to replace.
"Microsoft, we'll switch you over but you can never leave."
(Score: 3, Funny) by Oakenshield on Wednesday July 18 2018, @01:23PM
Welcome to the Hotel California. You can check out any time you like, But you can never leave!'
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 18 2018, @09:59AM (1 child)
Damage to either one, or Microsoft, would be a gain for society.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday July 18 2018, @08:37PM
Who do you cheer for when Godzilla and Mothra are fighting in downtown Tokyo?
Pretty sure the answer is "Japan's armed forces killing both of them"
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 4, Interesting) by stormreaver on Wednesday July 18 2018, @11:56AM
This may be the best thing to happen to small businesses since Walmart started dominating local retain. With Microsoft participating in Walmart's I.T., small businesses will finally have an opportunity to up their game while Walmart disintegrates from the inside.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 18 2018, @12:16PM
As much as Amazon is rather frightening, hopefully these two wind up screwing each other so badly that they make no meaningful success.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by LVDOVICVS on Wednesday July 18 2018, @01:29PM
Don't forget Microsoft is teamed up with Renault to help them achieve a mediocre and distant fourth place in the current constructors' standings.
(Score: 3, Funny) by realDonaldTrump on Wednesday July 18 2018, @02:39PM (1 child)
I'm hearing that Amazon is half of the online, it's 49%. Can we call that half? Almost half, right? Which is a lot because so many folks are doing online now. For dog food and everything else. Not easy to beat that one. Hopefully someone will beat them. And possibly we'll be breaking that one up. MicroSoft is tremendous, we love MicroSoft. One of our TOP TOP cyber companies. Walmart, that's another thing. I'm not a fan of Walmart. "Impeach 45," what is that about? I know what it's about. You know what it's about. It's very sad. And very very not nice. A lot of folks are doing a boycott about that one. And I thank them. Very strong boycott against Walmart, let's teach them a lesson!
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Wednesday July 18 2018, @03:05PM
It's because I'm convinced Jeff Bezos is in league with Satan.
If I want electronics order from NewEgg [newegg.com]. If I want books I walk into Powell's City of Books [powells.com] in Portland. If the book isn't in stock in their store I order from Powell's website.
For years now I've been regularly solicited to interview at Amazon. Always I decline - even when I was homeless.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Wednesday July 18 2018, @03:02PM (2 children)
I'm likely to be a developer for TI's "Smart Cities" gadgets.
I've been chatting with TI's engineer on the NIST's Smart Cities standards committee. He is _quite_ concerned about IoT security.
So there are some who want to do it right.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Freeman on Wednesday July 18 2018, @04:02PM (1 child)
But will he be in a position to make sure that security get's the TLC it needs. Still, it's good to know that some people involved do care.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Interesting) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Wednesday July 18 2018, @09:48PM
What he specifically requested of me was that I offer the service of writing firmware for TI's Smart Cities IoT gadgets. From everything he and I have discussed, those specific gadgets will be hip to security.
He also serves on NIST's Smart Cities standards committee. Thus I expect the _standard_ will address security as well.
Will vendors other than TI do so? Really I do not know.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Wednesday July 18 2018, @03:08PM
(MSFT)
FTFY
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday July 18 2018, @04:01PM
The idea conjures up an unsuccessful, even more geriatric duo than Bad Asses [wikipedia.org].
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday July 18 2018, @04:04PM
The thing I miss most about shopping with Amazon is that nobody tells me they love me at the entrance [youtube.com].
Washington DC delenda est.