微软为何想要收购抖音 | Microsoft与Tiktok之间的深层联系

Posted 2021-04-01 Violet的语言小屋

At first glance, a Microsoft acquisition of TikTok seems a little unusual. Microsoft has spent years walking back consumer plays like the Groove Music service, the Kinect Xbox accessory, its Microsoft Band fitness device, Windows Phone, and more recently the Mixer streaming service. 

乍一看，此次微软收购抖音非同寻常。微软已经花了数年时间回顾针对消费者的游戏，比如Groove音乐服务、Kinect Xbox配件、微软健身设备、微软手机系统，以及最近推出的混音流媒体服务。

Microsoft has been favoring its enterprise software and services, and even Cortana has transitioned to be productivity-focused. How does a service that caters to dancing teenagers fit with Microsoft’s buttoned-up business demographic?

微软一直青睐于其企业软件和服务，甚至Cortana也转变为以生产力为核心。一个迎合跳舞青少年的服务为何会与微软不断发展的商业模式相匹配呢？

If you dig a little deeper into Microsoft’s future ambitions, though, a move to acquire TikTok’s operations in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand could benefit many of Microsoft’s existing businesses while also setting the company up as a real competitor to YouTube and Facebook.

不过，如果你深入了解一下微软对未来的雄心壮志就会发现，收购抖音在美国、加拿大、澳大利亚和新西兰的业务会使微软的许多现有业务受益，同时也会使其成为YouTube和Facebook真正的竞争对手。

DATA, DATA, AND MORE DATA

数据，数据，更多数据。

The key part of any TikTok deal will be the data and users Microsoft gains access to. This is the driving force behind concerns from the Trump administration over TikTok’s potential ties to the Chinese government and how that data might be misused. Microsoft acknowledges the data’s importance in its blog post confirming acquisition talks, noting that “Microsoft would ensure that all private data of TikTok’s American users is transferred to and remains in the United States.”

任何有关抖音交易的关键都是微软可获取其数据和用户。这也是特朗普政府担忧背后的驱动力——抖音与中国政府的潜在联系以及这些数据被滥用的可能性。

微软在确认收购谈判的博客中承认了这些数据的重要性，并指出“微软将确保抖音美国用户的所有私人数据都被转移到美国并保留在美国。”

This data could be used by Microsoft in a variety of ways. The software giant has long used Xbox Live to fuel parts of Microsoft Research for future software and hardware projects, and the usage data helps game developers and Microsoft better understand how people use their Xbox. Understanding how people interacted with and used the Kinect accessory for the Xbox ultimately helped Microsoft develop and improve HoloLens, too.

这些数据对微软来说大有用处。长期以来，这家软件巨头一直在利用Xbox Live为微软未来的软硬件项目提供部分研究动力，这些使用数据有助于游戏开发商和微软更好地了解人们如何使用他们的Xbox。了解人们如何与Xbox上的配件互动和使用，最终也帮助微软开发和改进了HoloLens。

TikTok could help correct a Microsoft blindspot and even influence how other software and services are developed inside the company. Microsoft has all the data it needs on business usage of software, but it hasn’t been successful with pure consumer services in recent years, which has left the company with a gap of insight into consumer behaviors.

而抖音刚好可以帮助纠正微软的盲点，甚至可以影响公司内部其他软件和服务的开发方式。微软拥有软件商业使用所需的所有数据，但近年来它在纯消费者服务方面并没有取得成功，这使得微软对消费者行为的洞察存在差距。

TikTok gives Microsoft a direct line to millions of youngsters using the app to watch videos and even those who use it to create content. Microsoft has tried desperately to adapt its Windows operating system to be more consumer-friendly with video creation apps, but TikTok offers an easy way for millions to create videos from their phones instead.

抖音为微软提供了数百万使用该app观看视频的年轻人，甚至是那些用它来创建内容的年轻人的直接联系。微软一直在努力调整其Windows操作系统，使之更适合消费者使用视频制作应用程序，但抖音为大家提供了直接用手机制作视频这一更为便捷的方式。

1. Microsoft could take advantage of that direct access to TikTok users with ads for Surface.

微软可以利用这一优势，直接让Surface广告接触到抖音用户。

2. Microsoft also has broad ambitions for artificial intelligence that go beyond just the workplace. 

同时微软也可以拓展在人工智能领域的野心，使其不仅仅只局限在办公方面。

3. TikTok has also been venturing into augmented reality, with both filters and ads that utilize AR. TikTok would be another gateway into the mobile world of AR for Microsoft.

抖音也一直在探索增强现实技术，包括使用AR的过滤器和广告。因此抖音将是微软进入AR移动世界的另一个途径。

A COMPLICATED ACQUISITION

一个极为复杂的收购

It’s a complex deal, and Microsoft is trapped in it. Owning the network could benefit the company, but if it happens, it would also benefit President Trump, who could claim to have unwound one of China’s stickiest footholds in the US tech ecosystem. And he wouldn’t be shy about highlighting his involvement.

这是一个复杂的交易，微软深陷其中。拥有抖音可能会让公司受益，但如果收购真的发生，也会让特朗普总统受益，他可能会声称自己已经在美国科技生态系统中找到了中国最顽固的立足点之一。他也不会羞于强调自己的参与。

There will likely be more twists and turns in the TikTok talks in the coming weeks, but now that Microsoft has committed to finishing these discussions no later than September 15th, the clock is TikTok-ing.

未来几周，微软与抖音的谈判可能会有更多曲折，但现在微软已经承诺不迟于9月15日完成这些谈判，时间就要到了。

摘自The Verge 

图片源自网络

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