The Chinese who challenged Google

Shen Xiangyang in the Office of Microsoft Research Asia Dean to receive our interview. This is filled with the pictures of Bill Gates. The owner of this office is 3 excellent Chinese scientists: Kai-Fu Lee, Zhang, Shen Xiangyang. More than half of the time later Shen Xiangyang the office.

In March this year, Shen Xiangyang was appointed chief scientist of the Microsoft Search and advertising platform development team and will be responsible for coordinating the short-term and long-term technology investments of Microsoft's search business. July 31, Microsoft announced the formation of Internet Services Research Center, Shen Xiangyang as the head. A few years ago, Microsoft struggled to make up for its mistakes in the Internet strategy because of Microsoft's missteps and the upstart bulge of Google. It chose a Chinese Shen Xiangyang to lead the war on technology with Google. The future Shen Xiangyang will have half the time to work with his team in the United States to study technologies against Google.

"The Battle of the search has just been opened and future battles will be exciting," he said. Shen Xiangyang smiled and said to reporters. When it comes to competition with Google, he sometimes smiles with a smile, sometimes with a humorous banter. The 13-Year-old Chinese scientist who has been in the field of visual research, has a big idea against Google?

"Search" Microsoft's future

"We have risen to 12.3% in the latest search market share, which is very low, of course." Shen Xiangyang said to reporters at a relaxed and cheerful speed. At the end of March, Microsoft's Windows Live Search accounted for only 9.6% per cent of the market. But at present, Google's market share is still more than 50%, Yahoo's more than 20%, Microsoft can only "condescended" third place.

Shen Xiangyang is not a taboo on Microsoft's search challenges. "Search and advertising platform is very large, we have a lot of good competitors, Microsoft to catch up, it should be a long time to challenge." "But he had a relaxed tone and could hardly see the pressure.

In fact, Microsoft's foray into search is not too late. 10 years ago, Microsoft began research on search technology, and Google was not yet established (Google was founded in 1998). But in less than 10 years, Google has sprung up to become the hero of the internet age, and gradually threaten the PC era of the king of Microsoft. In recent years, the awakening of Microsoft has increased the expansion of the Internet business. September 2004, Microsoft Research Asia new research direction of Internet search and mining. After that, Microsoft conducted a series of restructuring and mergers and acquisitions, and the search and Internet became the future direction of Microsoft.

Why do you get up early and catch a late set? I believe Microsoft, including Bill Gates, has been thinking about it. Shen Xiangyang said, "I am confident that I will catch up and surpass some of our competitors in technology." But in addition to technical issues, there are business model issues, how to let users experience the industry and services and other issues. "The best technology does not necessarily bring the best market, which has been proven countless times in the High-tech industry." Shen Xiangyang also has a deep understanding. How to change the user's existing habits and attract users to Microsoft's platform is undoubtedly the challenge Microsoft faces.

But let Shen Xiangyang fortunately, the current "search" drama has just opened, there are many wonderful chapters, and Microsoft may be the protagonist of these chapters.

The direction the Shen Xiangyang found was "semantic search" and "classified search." The sort of semantic understanding will replace the original search results. "Shen Xiangyang said that the current search results are numerous, will waste users a lot of time." Category search will be more and more popular, although at present, such as Google also in the search box above a few small categories (such as information, pictures, Web pages, etc.), but the future classification of vertical search will be segmentation market. In fact, Microsoft's image search has surpassed Google in the US market.

Shen Xiangyang is confident about the future, "the Internet is a place where there is no shortage of technology and business miracles, and after Google, there is YouTube, MySpace, and now the hottest Facebook." No one knows who the next internet star is. ”
The ambition of a gifted teenager

Unlike Shen Xiangyang's talk of technology, he has only "a few words" about his experience, which does not necessarily mean that his experience is not so well. On the contrary, Shen Xiangyang is a gifted teenager at Microsoft steadily becoming
Long typical case.

Shen Xiangyang enrolled at the university at age 13 and then studied at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States and chose visual research as a research direction. Almost no one has done this in 1994 when Shen Xiangyang unveiled the first three-dimensional full real model. 1998, Shen Xiangyang was invited by Kai-Fu Lee, returned to join the newly founded Microsoft Research Asia. From the researcher, gradually to become senior researcher, deputy Dean, Dean.

The 41-year-old Shen Xiangyang looks very young. When it comes to what is needed to become a scientist, he smiles and says "ambition". "In this world, in addition to Chen Yang few people's scientific achievements ordinary people can not reach, the other you try to achieve." He said with ease that he could not see "frivolous meaning".

Shen Xiangyang to study in the United States, found that "those old beauty is very strong, are very powerful." At that time he thought "how bad can not lose to them, how also to the postdoctoral to be done." He said that only by their own determination to become a first-class scientist, to become a first-class scientist.

During his 4 years as Microsoft Research Asia Dean, Shen Xiangyang has been creating a relaxed research environment and recruiting talent. "A lot of research results are not immersed in instead focusing out, but a group of levels in a level of people noisy, suddenly a flash, new ideas came out." ”

For the future, Shen Xiangyang hope that many years later, they may not be alive, but people will think that there have been such a group of people, the Chinese society, the scientific community, the education sector has an impact. "I feel very proud of myself and I think I've done a great job of scientific research." ”

Interview notes

"China Engine" by Microsoft Search

This is the first time after Shen Xiangyang as the head of Microsoft Internet Service Center to interview, the conversation in this Shanghai man spoke at a brisk speed, able, added a bit of heroism. When they hear compliments, they laugh heartily, and in their slow conversation and relaxation they seem to forget the smoke of Microsoft and Google outside.

Web 2.0 era for the internet has brought a second wave of upsurge, from the past "read" Web page into the current "write" page, the original "rogue software" plug-in turned into a "green" Internet customization services. Google's toolbar is now gradually incorporating Microsoft's software capabilities. The gap between Microsoft and Google, Shen Xiangyang see very clearly, but also very thorough analysis. Recognition of the gap is a gesture, dare to talk about their shortcomings, but also prove that they have enough confidence to solve the problem.

In the IT field, no company can stand forever, always standing at the top of every wave of tide. Mainframe era created IBM, the PC era was born Microsoft, the Internet era seems to be Google's world. Currently in the search market share, Microsoft only Google's 1/5,2007 brand value selection, Google replaced Microsoft as the first, and Bill Gates to the richest man's seat to the Mexican telecoms giants. But Microsoft is trying to create its own new brilliance in the Internet era.

Shen Xiangyang, the "China Engine" of Microsoft's Internet tour, is "thrilled and honored" to be involved in the future of the technology war. "If you are emotionally difficult to support Microsoft, you have not met Shen Xiangyang," The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Review said Shen Xiangyang. ”

Will Microsoft break it's mantra and get back on top of the trend? Future developments will never be predictable, as Microsoft's "China Engine" seems to have increased its throttle. (Text/Ma Shuo)