A video: Why acquired Nuance Communications for $20 Billion

I’m sure you’re all familiar with Microsoft’s high-profile acquisitions of LinkedIn, GitHub, Skype, and Activision Blizzard. But have you ever heard of Microsoft’s acquisition of Nuance Communications? Nuance Communications is a background healthcare-centric tech company that doesn’t receive all that much press coverage, but they’re massive. In fact, 55% of physicians, 75% of radiologists, and 77% of American hospitals use Nuance solutions. So, by purchasing Nuance, Microsoft immediately became the dominant player within the healthcare industry as well. But, all of this is just stage one for Microsoft with Nuance. Their real long-term goal is to encourage and maximize Azure adoption and usage throughout the healthcare industry which is only now converting to the cloud. This video explains the story of Nuance Communications and why Microsoft spent $20 billion acquiring a no-name company.

Here are key timestamps linked to significant moments in the video:

1. 00:00:00 – Microsoft’s $19.7B Acquisition of Nuance

2. 00:01:06 – Common Misconceptions About the Deal

3. 00:01:40 – Nuance’s Dominance in Healthcare

4. 00:02:12 – Microsoft’s Real Goal: Healthcare Influence

5. 00:02:46 – U.S. Healthcare vs Tech Market Size

6. 00:04:25 – Raymond Kurzweil and Nuance’s Origins

7. 00:05:28 – OCR for the Blind and Early Struggles

8. 00:06:33 – Transition to ScanSoft and Nuance

9. 00:07:33 – Nuance’s Dragon Software and Healthcare Integration

10. 00:09:13 – Microsoft’s Strategic Motives and Azure Push

11. 00:10:16 – Concerns Over Microsoft’s Opportunism

12. 00:11:23 – Independence of Microsoft Acquisitions