Today, Michael Arrington brings up some Saturday afternoon talk by wondering if Powerset should sell before launch. I find this to be a weird question: If Powerset has been able to create a vaporware, then they should be able to attract at least a few million users in the first few months, and generate a monster buzz in the tech blogosphere.
However, the Web 2.0 opinion leader has a point: Now that Microsoft cannot count on Yahoo to gain market shares, it’ll have to focus on acquiring promising young technologies. Powerset is the perfect target for Microsoft: search engine, natural search, actively positioning itself as the next Google, and about to launch. However, it doesn’t make sense for Powerset to sell right now. They developed a promising search engine full of business opportunities. If they succeed, they’ll be making $100m a month.
Sending mixed messages is a new communication fashion. Techcrunch is a king in this field. Not that I don’t like this style, but concerning Powerset, they should at least launch for a year to sell a search engine with users, instead of a dull deserted platform like Second Life.