It was only a matter of time before Robert Scoble, once the internal conscience of Microsoft, went nuclear on the software behemoth that made him a bloghold name.
Reacting to a Microsoft LiveSide pledge that "We're in it to win!" and series of frothy blatherings from the mouth of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer - including Ballmer's characterization of Google apps as "cute" - Scoble unleashed a fusillade of criticism on his blog:
"The words are empty," Scoble responded. "Microsoft's Internet execution sucks (on the whole). Its search sucks. Its advertising sucks. If that's ‘in it to win', then I don't get it."
He continued: "Microsoft isn't going away. Don't get me wrong. They have record profits, record sales, all that. But on the internet? Come on.
"Microsoft: stop the talk. Ship a better search, a better advertising system than Google, a better hosting service than Amazon, a better cross-platform web development ecosystem than Adobe, and get some services out there that are innovative."
As for Ballmer personally, Scoble offered this advice:
Oh, and Ballmer, if I ran Google your speech at Stanford yesterday would be plastered on every door on every campus Google has. Why? It'll motivate Google employees the same way a coach will motivate an opposing team during the Super Bowl by taking trash in the press. You're up against a formidable competitor and one you've never seen before that has some real, significant weapons that you can't deal with (and YouTube isn't even close to it).
As for the quality of Microsoft search? According to this account, it's nothing that a little market-share muscle cannot overcome: "Microsoft Deal For Large Customers: Use Live Search, Get Free MSFT Products."
Scoble's remarks are starting to gather worldwide press attention and will undoubtedly be grist for the Microsoft haters for some time to come.
(Update: More fallout from news sources and blogs.)
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Why worry?
Why should Microsoft worry about developing web apps? Is their checkbook broken? They can always acquire somebody who has things figured out.
(And no, Google wouldn't put up a Ballmer speech. That's much, much too lowbrow for them. They're more likely to put up stuff like new algorithms for plotting optimal routes for Mars rovers. People go to Google to get away from sales guys trying to GET EVERYBODY FIRED UP!)