Thread by @hyounpark

This is a long time coming, given both the long-standing partnership & Microsoft's interest in #AI & natural language.

The only real question is why $msft waited so long. This could have happened 18 months ago for 1/3 the price. Nuance has been around a long time

#NLP #NLG 1/6

https://twitter.com/fxshaw/status/1381585926665605120

Although Nuance is best known for its Dragon software, the initial value here comes from the healthcare relationship that has blossomed since 2019 news.microsoft.com/2019/10/17/nua…

Over time, Microsoft will gain additional value in integrating Nuance with Teams, Dynamics, Linkedin, and Power BI to create a variety of speech-based inputs & interfaces.

It's also interesting to note that Nuance powers Apple's Siri and Microsoft is now a more foundational player in voice recognition & voice-driven computer interfaces.

But this acquisition is fundamentally driven by healthcare, where Microsoft sees Nuance-driven opportunities alone driving a $250 billion TAM. Given Microsoft's focus, this could spell trouble for Nuance's general use solutions.

Nuance provides Microsoft with a transformational opportunity to improve Cortana, Dynamics, Power BI, Teams, and Office365. The big question is whether Nuance will become the new interface or whether Microsoft will focus the Nuance team on healthcare.

@threadreaderapp please unroll!