The podcast and press release are up!

Highlights of the podcast:

• Channel 9 success numbers.
• Scoble is leaving because Microsoft is on the right track again.
• He’s also leaving because he wants to take advantage of the media possibilities that Microsoft, Apple and other companies are setting up. (Vista, iPod, XBox 360, etc)
• Prediction: Next year, 50% of Vloggercon attendees will have HD cameras.
• Second Life integration with feeds, audio and video is tight.  You can carry around a waving flag with a video playing on it.
• When a story breaks on blogs, podcasts, etc, it spreads like wildfire.  PodTech can tie into that.  Existing large media companies are too slow.

First, I’ll say that I’m not treating tonight’s news about Robert joining PodTech as fact until I hear it from him.

That being said, I can see why Microsoft wouldn’t fight to keep him around if he decided to leave.

• Through his blog and his videos at Channel9, Robert has given Microsoft a single friendly face to bloggers and other technology workers/enthusiasts.
• Also, through a lot of internal changes, Robert and others have set up a large infrastructure at Microsoft of PR. Including bloggers and videobloggers with Channel9 and On10.net.
• It seems to me that the best thing Microsoft could do to emphasize the other bloggers, vloggers and podcasters would be to let Robert go off and revolutionize something else.
• The bloggers at Microsoft are currently very enthusiastic. Why not take advantage of that enthusiasm and have Robert step down while the infrastructure is in place to take up the slack. If he steps down when the bloggers and vloggers at Microsoft are less organized, it could be disastrous for Microsoft PR.

My first instinct was that this ‘news’ HAD to be false because a company with Microsoft’s resources could easily prevent Robert from leaving. But, after some consideration, I can see why they might even encourage him to try something new while their other employees are still jazzed about blogging/vlogging.

Meanwhile, why would Robert leave Microsoft and join PodTech? With a big personality with a lot of practical experience running a podcasting/vlogging network, I think it could really have a chance against the existing media companies.

So: Good luck Robert!

Update: Dave and Chris both confirm. And, now, TechCrunch confirms.

Update 2: Robert’s explanation is up.  This was a good move not just for him and PodTech but also Microsoft. It’s time for some of the other kick ass bloggers at Microsoft to take the spotlight.