Blogs | NIALL KITSON:
Facebook executives are taking a pounding from angry shareholders over its botched IPO and stagnant share price; IBM is set to confirm the loss of 1,300 jobs; the PC and server markets are continuing their decline; and Windows 8 has only a paltry 5% market share months after going on general release. And those are the 'not so bad news' stories of the week.
The two headline-hoggers of the week - the scandal over NSA surveillance of US citizens under the Prism programme and the UK government's hammering of Google over its accounting practices - will prove to be pivotal turning points politically and commercially for the technology sector. If it's possible to define a moment as a childhood's end, this would be a good candidate.
First, there is the ongoing turmoil over technology companies accounting practices. Apple CEO Tim Cook went before a congressional committee in the US a few weeks ago to explain how his company managed to avoid paying the 30% tax on corporate profits applicable under US law. The good optics of a beleagured state bringing Big Business into line were quickly undone as Cook went on the offensive, explaining his company's structure and advocating for a tran...
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