Microsoft announces Lists, a new Airtable-like app (techcommunity.microsoft.com)

Article summary

Microsoft has announced Lists, a new app similar to Airtable. The app is designed to be the next evolution of SharePoint Lists. It aims to provide a more modern and streamlined UI, with some Excel functionality. The announcement has sparked discussion about Microsoft's strategy of creating products similar to those of smaller companies.

Main themes

• Microsoft Lists
• Airtable
• Competitor strategy
• Innovation
• Startup acquisition
• User experience
• Market competition

What commenters say

• Microsoft's creation of Lists is an example of a large company copying a successful small product to prevent a competitor from gaining traction.
• The strategy of copying smaller companies' products can stifle innovation and discourage investment in startups.
• Large companies like Microsoft have a history of acquiring or replicating successful products from smaller companies, which can be seen as unfair and detrimental to innovation.
• Some argue that Microsoft's resources and capital can be used to improve upon existing products and create better alternatives.
• The announcement of Lists has also led to discussions about the challenges of integrating acquired startups and the potential for large companies to kill smaller competitors through brute force.
• Some commenters have expressed concerns about the impact of large companies on smaller ones, citing examples of Google Reader and Atom.
• Others have pointed out that large companies like Apple have successfully entered markets and made predecessor products seem outdated.
• The discussion has also touched on the topic of user experience, with some commenters criticizing the UI of certain products and others defending them.