📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

Microsoft Nails All But 4 of 24 Oscar Predictions And the statue for best data-driven Academy Award predictions goes to...Bing.

By Kim Lachance Shandrow

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Always trust the data.

No one saw Neil Patrick Harris's jaw-dropping tighty whities strip-down coming or John Travolta's awkward face fondling, but Microsoft did accurately forecast nearly all of last night's top Oscar wins.

The Redmond, Wash.-based corporate computing giant gazed into its Bing predictive analytics ball once again and rocked its Academy Award predictions, correctly pegging the winners of best actress, best actor, best director, best picture and more.

Related: 6 Music Stars Betting Big on Tech

In case you missed it, that means Microsoft accurately predicted the following Oscar wins, as noted on its research blog:

  • Best Film: Birdman
  • Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman)
  • Best Actress: Julianne Moore (Still Alice)
  • Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)
  • Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
  • Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

In all, Microsoft, relying on an apparently awesome prediction model managed by research guru David Rothschild, nailed 20 out of 24 predictions. Last year, the bow-tied economist and pollster at Microsoft's New York City research lab correctly foresaw 21 of 24 Oscar winners and 19 of 24 the year before that. Someone deserves an award. Maybe just the Lego kind.

Related: 4 Movies Every Entrepreneur Should Watch

Related: From Oprah to the Kardashians: 6 Celebrity-Inspired Business Lessons

Kim Lachance Shandrow

Former West Coast Editor

Kim Lachance Shandrow is the former West Coast editor at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was a commerce columnist at Los Angeles CityBeat, a news producer at MSNBC and KNBC in Los Angeles and a frequent contributor to the Los Angeles Times. She has also written for Government Technology magazine, LA Yoga magazine, the Lowell Sun newspaper, HealthCentral.com, PsychCentral.com and the former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Coop. Follow her on Twitter at @Lashandrow. You can also follow her on Facebook here

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Franchise

Franchising Is Not For Everyone. Explore These Lucrative Alternatives to Expand Your Business.

Not every business can be franchised, nor should it. While franchising can be the right growth vehicle for someone with an established brand and proven concept that's ripe for growth, there are other options available for business owners.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

Passengers Are Now Entitled to a Full Cash Refund for Canceled Flights, 'Significant' Delays

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced new rules for commercial passengers on Wednesday.

Leadership

Why Companies Should Prioritize Emotional Intelligence Training Alongside AI Implementation

Emotional intelligence is just as important as artificial intelligence, and we need it now more than ever.

Business News

Elon Musk Tells Investors Cheaper Tesla Electric Cars Should Arrive Ahead of Schedule

On an earnings call, Musk told shareholders that Tesla could start producing new, affordable electric cars earlier than expected.