Microsoft Sheds Some of Its Ad Business, Mapping Service

Microsoft is handing off some of its digital-advertising business to AOL and selling its street-image mapping operation to Uber, as the giant software company tries to focus on activities that are more relevant to its core business.

AOL will now sell ads on Microsoft websites and Xbox. It is also adopting Microsoft’s Bing search engine as the default option for visitors who want to search the internet on AOL websites, replacing Google. That means Microsoft will get a share of revenue from advertising that’s keyed to internet searches performed on AOL.

Uber, meanwhile, has been investing in developing its own street-navigation technology. The ride-hailing service is acquiring a small unit of Microsoft that collected visual images of streets and buildings for Microsoft’s Bing Maps service.