First movement

摘要

Startups typically strain to be noticed. Symphony, a new communication service backed by a consortium of 15 financial firms, does not have this problem. Its unveiling on Septemberisth was preceded by frenzied speculation not only about what Symphony might do, but which companies and products could become collateral damage if it turns out to be a success. At the top of the list is Bloomberg, the world's largest provider of financial information (whose newish editor-in-chief is John Micklethwait, a former editor of The Economist). But the more immediate targets are online-collaboration platforms for companies, such as Slack, which have become increasingly popular. Over time, its creators hope, Symphony will evolve into a hub for all sorts of business and social interaction-a Facebook without all the clutter and unsolicited self-promotion-that could become an alternative to the most ubiquitous digital-communication product in the business world: e-mail.