Ray Ozzie redux

Microsoft??s surprise acquisition of Groove Networks was not so much of a surprise when you consider that Bill Gates is one of Ray Ozzie??s biggest fans.

But there??s also a little-noticed twist to the story: change a couple of names and faces and this has the makings of déjà vu.

Recall that the Wizard of Oz(zie) first rose to fame on the strength of his development work at Iris Networks, a small software outfit he founded north of Boston. The product he created was Notes. Lotus Development subsequently bought the company which still retained a large degree of autonomy remaining at its original headquarters.

In 1995, when IBM launched a hostile buyout offer for Lotus, Big Blue??s then-CEO Lou Gerstner knew that winning over this superstar developer was key to the deal. So he went out of his way and paid a personal visit to to woo Ozzie. It worked and Ozzie stayed ?? for a while.

Money??s obviously a big part of this deal but don't underestimate the mutual attraction factor. The acquisition brings together two kindred geek souls who speak very much the same language. (Although from this reporter's perch, I think Ozzie clearly has the superior software development chops.)

The big question is what kind of imprint Ozzie can make as the new Chief Technology Officer in a huge and often unwieldy Microsoft empire. Stay tuned.