Microsoft's assault on Google in Internet search and search advertising may be the steepest competitive challenge in business today. It is certainly among the most costly. Trying to go head-to-head with Google costs Microsoft upward of $5 billion a year, industry executives and analysts estimate.
Bing is picking up steam, however, handling 14% of Internet searches (30% counting Yahoo), increasing its ad click share to 24%, signing deals with Facebook and Twitter, and showing increased integration across Microsoft products such as Windows Phone and XBox 360. Lots of interviews with interesting people help present the challenges, successes, and plans for Bing's future.