Microsoft's Bing Isn't a Joke Anymore

A low-priority business quietly brings in a growing revenue stream.
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Bing has long occupied a place in Microsoft's gallery of boneheaded products with the Zune music player, Clippy and the little-remembered Kin smartphone. Microsoft spent billions of dollars of shareholder money in a quixotic attempt to build a web-and-search empire that could compete with Google. Even the name Bing is worthy of ridicule.

Bing is still no Google. But without much notice on Wall Street or beyond, Microsoft has turned into a quiet giant in digital advertising.