Today in Tech: GM's Randy Mott executes his plan; Facebook: Like, Want, Collect; Earnings season - key dates

GM's Randy Mott executes his plan

GM Chief Information Officer Randy Mott must be one of the most watched CIOs in the tech industry after he said GM will cut its outsourcing to 10% in the next three to five years, from 90% now. It seemed to be so against the trend. Many, including Today in Tech, wondered if it will work. Ever since that news came out, for the next several weeks, it was one question that hacks tracking IT invariably asked everyone from the industry. And everyone seemed to say outsourcing will remain the rule, and GM is an exception. So, GM is going ahead with its plans. Reuters reports GM will hire 1,500 people - software developers, database experts, analysts etc - at its new center in Michigan. It's the second. Last month, it set up its first in Austin. Two more are in the pipeline.

Facebook: Like, Want, Collect Shopping always had a very strong social element to it. Amway became big by organising parties. The neighborhood savings clubs - prevalent in many parts of India - not only gave an opportunity for the members to pool their money, save together but also to discuss what to buy, where to buy etc. There were tips, red flags, and most importantly there was a subtle peer pressure, that always worked in the favor of the sellers.

So, it comes as no surprise that Facebook is moving resolutely in that direction. Last month, it rolled out Facebook Gifts, a service that lets you buy gifts to your friends. Now, it has taken its next big step. Techcrunch reports that it has just begun testing a new feature called “Collections”. A retailer - Facebook has tied up with seven of them Pottery Barn, Wayfair, Victoria’s Secret, Michael Kors, Neiman Marcus, Smith Optics, and Fab.com - can now add “Want” or “Collect” buttons to its posts about products. When you click on it, it's added to your timeline in the form of a wishlist.

Investor interest in Pinterest is high, mainly because of its promise to integrate likes with commerce. Facebook is getting into that territory, with a much larger user base.

Earnings season begins: Key Dates
Oct 12: Infosys, Polaris
Oct 15: CMC, Quintegra
Oct 16: MindTree, NIIT Tech, Zensar
Oct 17: HCL Technologies, Infotech Enterprises
Oct 18: Tata Elxsi
Oct 19: TCS, NIIT
Nov 1: Hexaware
Nov 7: Cognizant

Also of interest

• Facebook Agrees to Pay $10 to Each 'Sponsored Stories' Victim : Wired
• How do they (technology services like Skype, Quora) make money: Seer  (Via Wired)
• Julian Assange to publish book about freedom and the future of the internet: Guardian
• Online, a Genome Project for the World of Art: NYTimes
• Google Faces Potential Class-Action Lawsuit In Canada Over Gmail Privacy Concerns Techcrunch
• YouTube Premium Content Goes Global - Without Asia: Readwriteweb
• The Patent, Used as a Sword (7th in a series examining challenges posed by increasingly globalized high-tech industries): NYTimes
• Judge: Takeover of employee LinkedIn account doesn't violate hacking law: Arstechnica

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