Okay, so they're not traditional rock stars per se, but the Silicon Valley equivalent. Honestly, Microsoft claiming that it has enlisted 'rock stars' just brings to mind other examples of MS excess--specifically, the talking paper clip, the talking puppy, and the graphic intensive Vista.
But with all of the recent focus on F.O.G. this might be a good time for Microsoft to give it another shot...if it plays its cards right. Based on its past track record, whether or not this venture will produce a superior search engine or just a mediocre alternative to Google is a bit of a toss up, though.
F.O.G. aside, I think Google has made it clear that simplicity really is best at this juncture in the world of search. So, it'll be interesting to see what MS brings to the table to either improve upon or weaken that model. Aside from the minor details that Michael over at
TechCrunch provided like Sanaz Ahari's involvement, most of the of this stealth operation has remained cloak and dagger. I've pinged Microsoft's PR for more info, but they haven't responded with anything specific as of this post. More as it develops!
UPDATE: A Microsoft spokesperson got back to me. They were kind enough to let me know that they "have a global team working on search and are continually looking at ways of innovating and meeting customer needs." I guess that pretty much clears everything up.
