Intuit Corp

A new ad campaign by Microsoft Corp. that takes aim at Intuit Corp. has stirred controversy. The campaign touts Microsoft's newest version of its Money personal finance software package, Money 98. Print ads ask: "Why do 50% of Quicken users say they'll switch to Money 98 Financial Suite?" They quote six users of Intuit's Quicken software who seemed eager to adopt Money. But Intuit executives say the ad is misleading.

While most of the high-tech industry hunkers down, financial software maker Intuit Corp. is muscling up. In the last year, the company behind such popular software products as TurboTax, Quicken and QuickBooks has expanded its product line, spent $490 million on six acquisitions and built one of the industry's most successful online subscription services. The burst of activity for Mountain View-based Intuit follows Steve Bennett's arrival as chief executive in January 2000.

Three giants from the cable television, computer software and banking industries agreed Tuesday to band together in developing a new service that will enable consumers to do their banking through their television sets. The deal, the first of many expected to emerge as companies scramble to take advantage of the convergence of computers and televisions, was struck early Tuesday morning by cable powerhouse Tele-Communications Inc., BankAmerica Corp. and software leader Intuit Corp.

Three giants from the cable television, computer software and banking industries agreed Tuesday to band together in developing a new service that will enable consumers to do their banking through their television sets. The deal, the first of many expected to emerge as companies scramble to take advantage of the convergence of computers and televisions, was struck early Tuesday morning by cable powerhouse Tele-Communications Inc., BankAmerica Corp. and software leader Intuit Corp.

While most of the high-tech industry hunkers down, financial software maker Intuit Corp. is muscling up. In the last year, the company behind such popular software products as TurboTax, Quicken and QuickBooks has expanded its product line, spent $490 million on six acquisitions and built one of the industry's most successful online subscription services. The burst of activity for Mountain View-based Intuit follows Steve Bennett's arrival as chief executive in January 2000.

Despite signs of increasing drug use among technology's newly rich, high-tech companies are adopting policies that require screenings for blue-collar and out-of-town staff, but protect programmers and executives in tight labor markets such as Silicon Valley. The little-known practice, which labor experts call legal but blatantly biased, is being used by industry leaders such as online retailer Amazon.com Inc., software maker Intuit Corp., Internet delivery service Kozmo.

Intuit Corp. bowed to the pressure of the Internet on Monday, dumping its electronic-bill-paying subsidiary and changing strategies so its top-selling Quicken financial software works better with the global network. Also, as expected, that company said it lost money in its fiscal fourth quarter ended July 31, and it forecast slower revenue and profit growth for the next 12 months. Intuit sold its bill-paying unit, called Intuit Services Corp., to CheckFree Corp.

* Shunki Yatsunami has been appointed president of Irvine-based Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. Hisatsugu Nonaka has been named senior vice president for the computer systems group. The two men succeed Atsutoshi Nishida, who has returned to Tokyo to direct Toshiba Corp.'s worldwide personal computer business. Yatsunami will be responsible for the company's seven divisions and Topac, a wholly owned subsidiary. * James L.

Intuit Corp.'s chief executive acknowledged that his company decided to add Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer to its Quicken money management program because the software giant had a version that met its needs, not just because Microsoft could provide other benefits to his company. Testifying on the first day back from a holiday break in the Microsoft antitrust trial, William Harris also said Intuit chose Microsoft's Web browser when it realized a rival could not meet deadlines.

In a court ruling that could bolster Microsoft Corp.'s antitrust battle against the government, a federal judge in Connecticut ruled that Microsoft does not immediately have to provide a software rival with access to one of its key technologies. U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall instead set a June 1 trial date to resolve the dispute, which centers on whether Microsoft thwarted competition by refusing to honor a licensing agreement with Danbury, Conn.-based Bristol Technology Inc.

A new ad campaign by Microsoft Corp. that takes aim at Intuit Corp. has stirred controversy. The campaign touts Microsoft's newest version of its Money personal finance software package, Money 98. Print ads ask: "Why do 50% of Quicken users say they'll switch to Money 98 Financial Suite?" They quote six users of Intuit's Quicken software who seemed eager to adopt Money. But Intuit executives say the ad is misleading.

Here we go again. Another legislative session, another well-funded campaign waged by Intuit Corp. to abolish California's free, innovative and wildly popular electronic tax filing programs, ReadyReturn and CalFile. These two programs provide California taxpayers with a reliable, voluntary, safe and free way to calculate and file their taxes. ReadyReturn offers an already completed state tax return using information in the state's possession (from a W-2, for instance) as a starting point.