Microsoft Bid for Yahoo!

[Mike]

Oh no - Microsoft have bid $44.6billion dollars for Yahoo! probably in an attempt to dethrone Google. That would be a shocker for Flickr users.

[mr_e]

Were they proposing changes to Flickr or something? It's just an insane amount of money. They may as well write their own search engine, unless they're all out of innovations over at Microsoft.

[Mike]

I think it is more like they are trying to reduce the competition. . . . Flickr users were up in arms about the proposed take over because they seem generally Microsoft phobics.

[mr_e]

Ooh, yeah. I'd forgotten about Yahoo! mail versus MSN. I really hope they don't change my email either, as I hate the clunky MSN interface, having used the newer look Yahoo! mail for ages now. It's all a long way off yet, as they may not accept the offer and I think it needs to go to the American equivalent of the monopolies and mergers committee. The offer was something like 60% above Yahoo's share value, so it could be difficult to justify refusing it, at least in terms of economics.

[Mike]

Google have requested that the monopoly's commission look into the deal to ensure it does not breach their version of trading standards. It will be interesting to see how it pans out. It is amazing that Microsoft has sufficient funds floating around to justify paying $22bn dollars more than market value.

[BarcelonAl]

Well Micro$oft is worth around about $400 billion, so I reckon they could find the $44 billion down the back of a sofa in Gates' office!

I think the whole aim of the merger would be to try to reduce the market-share of the search industry that Google currently occupies. Whether this will work is a different matter as for a lot of people Google is the first thing they think of when you say the word 'Internet', such has its profile worked its way into the public psyche.

However, there are those who think it has begun to turn it's back on its initial 'Do No Evil' premise and has also maybe taken its eye off the search-engine ball in an attempt to diversify itself and re-position the brand (GMail, Google Checkout, etc.). Micro$oft obviously think they can make some money from this deal somehow.

Like mr_e, I just hope they don't screw around with Yahoo! Mail...

[stimpsonslostson]

I found a news story relating to this...
yahoo and google are in talks of a "pact" to prevent this hostile takeover. Whereby they will both agree to cooperate to prevent a microsoft takeover/domination of the net.
ahh the rebel alliance against the mighte evil empire... all we need is luke skypetalker and Html solo.
It seems that there's a rather strange love triangle going on here, Microsoft are trying to buy the competition in the mail stakes (google are asking for the monopolies commission to investigate before its approved). Microsoft have said that if there is a google yahoo alliance they will ask for the monopolies folk to investigate on "search engine" grounds...
Is it just me or does the web seem to be becoming homogenised? How long before we end up with one search engine, mail, browser etc? hopefully never- I like firefox on pc and safari on mac, but the google search has become ubiquitous. (Hell! Its even in the dictionary!)
P

[Mike]

ahh the rebel alliance against the mighte evil empire... all we need is luke skypetalker and Html solo

That made me really laugh! My work colleagues thought I was really sad though!

[Mike]

There is a news story on a potential News Corporation bid? for Yahoo! and also a commentary on the Microsoft / Yahoo! bid up.

[BarcelonAl]

I think I'd rather have Micro$oft owning Yahoo! than Rupert 'Slippery Git' Murdoch...

[Mike]

The Yahoo! Online Resignation Tool is a fun but quite rude auto resignation tool that might even be sent to Yahoo! board members - the article I found it on was not too clear. It seems to be a 'dream?' resignation letter where you could actually pour in lots of frustraition in a consequence free environment. Unless you have the same name as a Yahoo! employee which would be embarrasing for them. Ooooh, actually, if you had a collegue you did not like that much you could resign for them using the online form. The victim would find it very difficult to prove it was not them, especially if you did it from their computer during a tea break.....