Seems my 15 minutes of fame applied again this week. My views on the Yahoo Voice 2.0 plans and how it impacts Skype are being picked up all over the place by many a respectable outlet or commentator.
This time The Deal, Internet Outsider, and IP Democracy which pulled together comment from Telephony Magazine’s Carol Wilson, Om and Yahoo’s new VoIP rock star, Jeff Bonforte. Just wind Jeff up and let him get on a roll. Just bring your track shoes, as he makes his former colleague at SipPhone, Michael Robertson seem like he’s in the slow lane..and that’s a real hard thing to do. Fortunately Yahoo’s steady at the helm, VP (call him Captain) Brad Garlinghouse keeps the ex iDrive first officer on an even keel.
I even commented to Brad how Jeff has really taken to his new role and is demonstrating that in presentations since September when he first joined Yahoo. Obviously Bonfortes has also grown more comfortable, especially since the departure of ex-Dialpad CEO, Craig Walker who is of doing something new in San Francisco.
What’s interesting is each seems to point out a different reason why they feel my perspective is on the money.
Part of this is, as Mark Evans alludes to, the anemic effort by eBay to clearly tell their story about what Skype will be like going forward as an entity. I expect that to change, and rather quickly, as Henry Gomez and Skype leaders were reportedly hovering in London last week, while Gomez was also possibly in Estonia on an educational crusade.
The big question though is who was educating who? Gomez needs to learn that Skype is a Business 2.0, Voice 2.0, Web 2.0 company. eBay is 1.0 and his prior worlds of HBO and I think NYNEX were old school. He’s a smart guy, and will likely catch on, but can the rest of eBay grasp what’s needed fast enough.
Things are happening in warp speed in the Valley, and the Borg never won in Star Trek battles….maybe a skirmish, but not the war.