We have been tracking the exodus of employees from Yahoo and have counted 114 executive-level departures since January 2007. The news isn’t going to get any better as we have learnt that of the executives remaining at the company, a large number of them are biding their time and waiting for a large vesting period that finishes up in the first week of August, the same time as the critical annual shareholder meeting.

The options grant was part of a retention initiative at Yahoo! and involved almost every employee at the company - from top executives down to the engineering level. Employees were granted options and restricted stock units based on merit. Grants ranged from 10,000 to up to 40,000 options with a vesting period of two years. These options are potentially worth up to $200,000 for some employees - certainly enough incentive for some who intended to leave to wait around a few more months before taking that new job with a startup, or Google or Microsoft. We understand that there are dozens and possibly up to another 100 people in director, VP level or higher positions who are ready to leave once this vesting period has completed in a few weeks time.

Yahoo has long had a retention problem, and they are known to pay higher base salaries and ocassionaly write out bonus options in an effort to retain employees. They also ran a very visible recruitment campaign until recently when they initiated a hiring freeze. Our list of executives who have left the company could easily double in the next month - and another mass exodus would not bode well for the morale of the remaining employees and executives.

We understand that some of these remaining executives are only coming into the office a day or two a week, and openly searching for new jobs with competitors or other companies. The image gives a good idea of just how tough the situation inside Yahoo! is at the moment - and the challenges facing upper management with their attempts to turn the company around without the help of Microsoft.

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Mobile streaming service provider Flixwagon has added an array of new features in coincidence with its launch into public availability.

Among the new features, users can now register and download the client software through Nokia Symbian Series 60 mobile browsers. Before broadcasting, users can specify whether to increase video quality or decrease delay. With new two-way text chat, broadcasters can write back messages to the comments area that appears during a broadcast from their mobile device. They can also change title videos during broadcasts and enjoy digital zoom-in and zoom-out.

Post-broadcast features include a group-sharing option, where broadcasters can specify which groups they want to share videos with (friends, family, coworkers, etc.). They can also post to Twitter and YouTube with personalized messages.

Changes made to the Flixwagon site include the addition of RSS to users’ broadcast feeds, as well as an option to import contacts from Gmail, Yahoo, Plaxo, etc.

Flixwagon was the first streaming service to announce support for the iPhone (albeit, only by a few hours). It competes most directly with Qik and Kyte.tv (see Robert Scoble’s analysis of the mobile video broadcasting space here).

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Michael once wrote that Twitter may not have to worry about uptime any more, explaining, “I now need Twitter more than Twitter needs me.” And, a few months and countless hours of downtime later, it looks like most of you feel the same way. The early adopters may have migrated to Friendfeed, but the masses appear to be content to stay and take their punishment at Twitter.

Hitwise has just released their latest Twitter usage data, and despite a reliability record that many would describe as an “epic fail”, the service is showing a surprising amount of resilience. Twitter’s share of returning visitors (users that return to the site more than once in thirty days) has held steady at around 55% since March. Twitter has seen near-constant downtime and disappearing features in that time, but nobody seems to mind. At least, not enough to try out one of the other microblogging services.

The site has also seen impressive growth, rising from around .0004% of all internet traffic in January to .0024% in July - the nearest competitor only sees about 1/10th of that traffic. These numbers also neglect to account for the many Twitter users who use the site through its API using 3rd party programs, so we can expect Twitter’s lead to be even more significant.

In effect, we’ve been telling Twitter that no matter how badly it screws up, we’ll stay loyal, simply because our friends are already on the service.

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Stock in virtualization provider VMWare today dropped almost 25%, as growth expectations were lowered and founding CEO Diane Greene was replaced by the board. Prior to today, VMWare was the fourth largest software company in the world, with a market cap of over $20B. They have slipped down the list and lost $5B in value as the company struggles to match high growth expectations places on it after its much-hyped IPO almost a year ago.

Greene, an original founder of the VMWare company, will be replaced by Paul Maritz as President and CEO, and he has also been assigned to the board of the company. Maritz was the founder of Pi Corporation, a cloud based storage and services provider that was acquired by EMC last year. Previously Maritz was the VP of Cloud Services at EMC, and prior to that he was a long-term executive at Microsoft.

The company faces a number of fresh challenges as the virtualization market heats up with the entry of Microsoft with their virtualization platform, now built into Windows Server, and their new Hyper-V product, which will retail for only $28, fractions of the cost of a VMWare solution.

VMWare: A missed opportunity for EMC? Continue reading at Techcrunch IT >>

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Well, this sucks for Second Life. Google is launching a new service today called Lively, a browser based virtual world add-on that lets users create and customize avatars and worlds, interact with other users, and generally have a richer social interaction than is offered by GTalk today.

Worlds can be embedded into web pages, although only Windows users on IE or Firefox can view them, after an add-on download and installation. Mac and Linux users will have to wait for now.

Google has created a number of sample rooms that can be copied and altered, or users can start from scratch and build their own world. Furniture and other items can be added and moved around. Avatars can talk to each other, do things like dance and shake hands, and manipulate objects (in a demo, my avatar was able to blow up drums of toxic waste by double clicking on them. Users can also, of course, chat with each other - GTalk is the underlying chat engine.

This isn’t yet a full Second Life competitor. There’s no single world, for example, where users can move around. But it’s easy to see Google evolving this into a single online world. And then, of course, selling advertising into it. More screen shots:

The virtual world’s “Google Room” is embedded below.

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Microsoft has announced this morning the availability of hosted Exchange, Sharepoint, collaboration and communication as part of the Microsoft Online suite. The hosted platform is a direct competitor to the Google App platform, which is currently available either for free or for as little as $50 per year.

The service plans for the Microsoft deals start from $3 per user per month - and with that plan users get an Exchange mailbox with webmail access, sharepoint server access and the basic communication tools such as messenger. The full hosted Exchange and Sharepoint, along with collaboration tools, starts at $15 per user per month - which is around $180 per year. While the alternatives are a lot cheaper, for most businesses an Exchange-based solution is at a different level than what Google or any other web-based company can provide.

Exchange already has deep penetration into the enterprise, and the online platform and suite integrates nicely with existing windows domains - so users can easily move users and mailboxes between hosted online or hosted on the local network. Pricing is a little more than what it would be with just an Exchange license, but it includes the hosted environment, administration tools and integration into other products such as hosted Dynamics CRM.

Microsoft also announced this morning that they will be paying partners a 12% fee for all new customers that they refer to the platform. Microsoft has a very large partner base (over 15,000 of them are currently meeting at the partner conference where this was announced), who are all ready to go out and sell this solution into businesses at all levels - something that Google does not have.

Continue reading at Techcrunch IT >>

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JS-Kit, a provider of Javascript comments, ratings, and poll widgets for blogs, has announced their acquisition of HaloScan, one of the largest hosted comments service providers. This announcement is also coordinated with the launch of several major features. Financial terms were not disclosed.

HaloScan had previously partnered with JS-Kit in January to provide the users of their comment system with “one-click” deployment of JS-Kit’s ratings widget (providing ratings for articles, not ratings for comments). This acquisition will result in an exponential increase of JS-Kit’s customer base, providing new access to over 520,000 participating sites, bringing its total reach to about 550,000 sites. JS-Kit also claims that with this new acquisition, it will be registering 300+ new sites per day. HaloScan’s comment systems will integrate with JS-Kit’s Ratings, Polls, Reviews, Navigator, and Advisor widgets. JS-Kit’s comments also comes with full Akismet spam protection and profanity filters.

Blogger’s original comment system only allowed for comments from other Blogger users, so HaloScan gained popularity early on as an alternative to their innate system. Blogger also recommended it as the system to use for providing Trackback links. It’s seen a drop in usage recently because of temperamental server issues (possibly related to the transition), so hopefully JS-Kit can solve these issues when the transition is complete in 30 days or so.

JS-Kit will leverage its newly acquired users to launch important new features. One of which is the implementation of an open standards-based, portable, user profile. Users will have access to all of the comments made on any JS-Kit participating site through an OpenID login system (pictured below). The portable profile is accessible through a pop-up on the hosting site. This does lend itself to easier discovery, which could possibly help with adoption for new publishers.

Another feature will be easier synchronization with Wordpress and Blogger. This could allow for easier adoption by existing blogs, with the automatic import of older comments from either site. In addition to the easier import, JS-Kit will also update a participating blog’s Wordpress or Blogger comments when new comments are made in the widget.

This also goes hand-in-hand with another new feature that JS-Kit is implementing, SEO support. JS-Kit now sets up a static page for indexing comment content, which you can host on your server as a sub-domain, so search engines see the content on your site, and not JS-Kit’s.

There is no back end network to JS-Kit like competing comment providers Disqus and Sezwho. Disqus and Sezwho offer social networks based on the comments left in participating blogs, leading to better content discovery. The competition has significantly less users than JS-Kit (reportedly 550,000 participating sites, 8 million users, 80 million comments left), so JS-Kit adding a social network functionality to Haloscan’s already massive user base potentially puts them on top of the market. But Disqus has been gaining a lot of momentum (reporting 20,000 participating blogs), and could give JS-Kit some very real competition.

One major difference is that Disqus uses a proprietary login system, while JS-Kit uses OpenID, which is what the social web is trending towards. To get involved in the Disqus community for a blog, users are directed to the Disqus site, instead of remaining on the blog, like with JS-Kit, which may explain why the Compete graph below shows Disqus gaining so fast on Haloscan. The graph does not count widget users.

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Which Companies Do You Trust Or Admire The Most?
( surveys)

Who do you trust more, Google or Toyota? The answer might depend on where you live. In its annual corporate reputation survey of 60,000 people worldwide, the Reputation Institute finds that Google scores highest in the U.S., but is No. 2 worldwide after Toyota. On the global list, Ikea is No. 3, Johnson & Johnson is No. 5, and Walt Disney is No. 12. Apple doesn’t even make it into the top 25 (see below).

Using the same data, Forbes breaks out the top 75 companies in the U.S. In the U.S. alone, Apple is No. 17, HP is No. 18, Intel is No. 19, Dell is No. 25, IBM is No. 35 and Microsoft comes in at No. 43. Bringing up the rear is Motorola at No. 50, Cisco at No. 55, CBS at No. 62, and American Express at No. 75. (See partial list below).

These rankings are based on an opinion poll, but they just don’t seem right to me. How can Dell be No. 25, with all of its customer service issues last year? And why is American Express, which regularly ranks as one of the most admired companies in the world and one of the top brands, dead last?

It is instructive to compare some of these rankings to the top 100 brands, as measured by an estimate of brand value. (See below). Google, again is No.1. Microsoft is No. 3, IBM is No. 6, Apple is No. 7, Toyota is No. 12, HP is No. 16, American Express is No. 20, Intel is No. 27, and Dell is No. 41. About the only company the two rankings agree on is HP. These brand rankings feel like a better measure of reputation to me than the Reputation Institute’s survey.

What do you think? Take our own poll. Vote for the companies you trust or admire the most. Multiple answers are allowed.

Editor’s note: I put in BMW twice by mistake in our poll, so please only vote once for BMW if you vote for it at all. I’m keeping the existing poll up rather than put up a new one and throwing away the votes that have already been cast.

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In the grand tradition of UPC codes and CueCat, ScanBuy/ScanLife is attempting to barcode the world. Their mission: to allow companies and individuals to place small barcodes on their publications that are readable by over 70 phone models including an upcoming application for the iPhone.

The 2d barcodes - meaning that unlike standard barcodes they are read in both the X and Y axis - can trigger menu events, download content, lead you to a website, or create a contact or calendar entry in your phone. They currently appear in outdoor ads, some magazines, as well as transit schedules in Europe. The program is actually compatible with multiple types of codes, ensuring international compatibility.

ScanLife wanted to offer TechCrunch users a chance to create their own EZCodes for placement on business cards, documents, and tattoos. You can download the application by texting SCAN to 43588 (U.S. only) or visiting www.getscanlife.com in your phone’s browser.

You can then get your own EZCode by visiting this link and typing in the invitation code techcrunch. One thousand invitations are available under this code.

The company, founded in 2000, is dedicated to making 2d barcodes a mainstay of the modern experience. Current ScanLife users can scan the barcode below to receive a special surprise.

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As part of the TechCrunch Euro Tour, TechCrunch is coming to Zurich, Switzerland, on July 17th, thanks to our co-organisers there. We’ll be throwing it at the Swisscom Bluewin tower in Zurich (pictured) for the Swiss web 2.0 crowd, including start-ups, bloggers and journalists. Thanks to our co-organisers Wuala, Doodle, Newscred, Sandbox and people like Jasper Bouwsma, Alfonso Rodriguez, and Johannes Hummel. A great thanks to all organizers who are devoting their time to make this happen. TechCrunch’s Mike Butcher is the host of the event. See more info after the jump.

Programme:
18:00 Doors open
19:00 Opening by Mike Butcher (TechCrunch UK)
19:15 Short introduction by each start-up
19:30 - 21:30 Informal start-up demos and socializing

Snacks and drinks will be provided. As the Swisscom Bluewin Tower is located in the hip Zurich West district (tickets going fast). Start-ups will be demoing their products. If you’re a start-up and you would like to demo your product please contact our co-organiser Dominik Grolimund (dominik[at]wua.la) - also for press/blogger enquiries.

Gold Sponsors

Swisscom

Swisscom is Switzerland’s leading telecom provider with 5 million mobile customers, around 5.3 million fixed lines and 1.6 million broadband connections. In 2007, the company’s 19,844 employees generated revenues of CHF 11.1 billion. Swisscom has an active incubation and venturing program. For more information, see here or contact Michael Kern, Head of Incubation (michael.kern@swisscom.com), or Dominique Mégret, Head of Venture Investments (dominique.mégret@swisscom.com).

Red Alpine

Redalpine is among the first in continental Europe to offer a professionally managed venture capital fund to leverage the rarely exploited early stage opportunity. Typical investment size ranges from CHF 100’000 to CHF 1.5 million. Redalpine is focussing on highly scalable European start-up teams with international ambitions. The partners of the fund have a double experience as early stage serial entrepreneurs and venture investors with a strong track-record in sectors such as internet, media, software and life sciences.

Silver Sponsors

Zanox

zanox is the market leader for performance-based multichannel commerce and provides a global platform for efficiently marketing products and services on the Internet. zanox online marketing services include affiliate marketing and search engine management as well as email marketing and customer loyalty programs.

Holtzbrinck eLAB

Holtzbrinck eLAB is the Digital Incubator of the Verlagsgruppe von Holtzbrinck, an international media group with publishing and digital businesses in Germany, UK, USA and numerous other countries. eLAB develops and brings to market customer centric offerings in the internet and mobile world, together with founders and entrepreneurial managers. Projects and teams profit from smart seed capital and a network of experts and strategic partners in all phases of a venture.

Sun Microsystems

Sun Microsystems develops the technologies that power the global marketplace. Guided by a singular vision - “The Network is the Computer” - Sun drives network participation through shared innovation, community development and open source leadership. Today, Sun conducts business in more than 100 countries around the globe.

Creathor Venture

CREATHOR VENTURE is an internationally operating Venture Capital Company investing in early-stage high-tech companies.

Thanks to our co-organisers:

Wuala

Wuala is a free social online storage. You can store files and access them from anywhere, share files with friends or in groups, publish files and discover what others have published. Wuala is based on a revolutionary technology that brings a number of advantages and ensures the privacy of the users.

Doodle

Doodle helps finding suitable dates for group events, e.g., an appointment, a conference call, a family reunion, etc. Doodle is a Web-based service which is free, requires no registration and no software installation.

Newscred

NewsCred is a digital newspaper that gives readers all the world’s credible news in one place. NewsCred aggregates news from hundreds of mainstream media sources, as well as established blogs, and lets users personalize their digital newspaper within seconds, without any fuss. The community votes on the credibility of articles, authors and news sources, and NewsCred applies its CredRank algorithms to ensure you only get the highest quality news from the sources you love.

Sandbox

Sandbox is a global playground for the most active innovators under 30. The core of Sandbox is a yearly conference where young achievers from all over the world come together for three inspiring days full of new ideas. Sandbox is a global community for young ambitious people with entrepreneurial spirit who love to turn their ideas into reality.

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