The battle for digital assistants in the home intensified Wednesday when Amazon.com (AMZN) and Microsoft (MSFT) announced a partnership that threatens the rise of Alphabet (GOOGL) and Apple (AAPL) in one of the hottest categories in consumer electronics. XAutoplay: On | OffAmazon said will integrate its Echo line of virtual digital assistants, voiced by Alexa, with the Cortana digital assistant from Microsoft, enabling the two to work together on answering questions from users and greatly expanding their abilities. So-called virtual digital assistants, including the Google Home device from Alphabet and the HomePod from Apple, are expected to be widely dispersed throughout homes across the U.S.

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(Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg learned the difference between skill and experience requirements when it came to hiring.Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images) Before she joined Google in 2001, Sheryl Sandberg had no experience in tech. In a job interview at