When an acquisition occurs, it’s always a good sign to see that the acquiring CEO is getting around to meet all the employees of the acquired company. When major announcements were being made at my last employer, our first priority was to make sure the employees understood what was being announced, the reasoning behind the announcement and what the implications were for company staff. It’s important to have the team onside right from the beginning.
At Microsoft – Skype Press Conference last Tuesday it was announced that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Skype CEO Tony Bates, who had already briefed Skype’s employees based in the Palo Alto area, would be touring Skype’s European offices in London, Tallinn (Estonia) and possibly Stockholm and Prague over the past weekend.
Seems like Steve got to check out the Skype phone booth at Tallinn airport on Friday or Saturday:
And that Steve participated in a Sunday morning brunch with some employees according to this Stockholm-based employee’s mood message:
More about the phone booth here. Phil Wolff at Skype Journal has opened a Caption Contest.
Bottom line: the introductions are over; now for the execution. Get ready for the ride.
Thanks to Brian O’Saughnessy, Skype’s Chief Marketing Officer, for the photos.
Related articles
- Steve Ballmer’s email to Microsoft employees about Skype deal (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Steve Ballmer & Tony Bates Talk About Skype-Microsoft Deal (gigaom.com)
- Ballmer’s latest acquisition (mondaynote.com)
- Microsoft Acquires Skype – An Investor’s Perspective (voiceontheweb.biz)
- Microsoft Acquires Skype – The “Amber Mac Test” (voiceontheweb.biz)
- Microsoft Acquires Skype – A Most Interesting Marriage (voiceontheweb.biz)
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