After a frenzied morning of hype and speculation around a rumored $50 billion merger between Microsoft and Yahoo, the WSJ is now saying (its fifth article today on the topic) that the deal isn’t happening, largely because of Yahoo disinterest. The article also contains good comparison stats of the three companies:
Boooooo! Actually don’t care, but I had nothing of consequence to say.
TGIF
Google should go for Yahoo!
Same thing happened with DoubleClick
Looks like the pump-and-dump conspiracy theory was correct. Hope you unloaded YHOO at the top.
Hoo-ray! I can continue to use Yahoo Mail and Flickr
I would very much have like to seen the look on Bill gates face when he heard that Yahoo said “No Thank You” to 50 billion.
Didn’t the same thing happen to Microsoft with DoubleClick?
I have a problem with the comparison numbers. Google’s 2006 Revenue: $10.6 b, their 2006 AD revenue: $7.6 b. Really? What was the non-advertising source of the 3.3b difference? Google Minis? I don’t think so.
In fact, it’s Google’s biggest financial hurdle that they rely completely on ad revenue.
It’s good news..Now,Google should go for Yahoo !!
No Yahoosoft? A part of me will really miss the name conversions that could have come from a deal like this.
However, it does beg the question what’s next for Microsoft. Microsoft appears to be trying to make a strong entrance into either the search space or reposition themselves as a content portal (either that or they just had some spare cash laying around).
If they can’t just buy off Yahoo, what’s next on the docket?
Whew.
yeap…
I’m not sure why everyone here is rejoicing. We all need a legitimate number 2 in the search space if online advertising is going to continue to grow at the same pace of the last two years.
http://www.ebizmba.com
what a clusterf$#k. if true that talks are off (and have been for some time), both companies should have immediately squelched the story, it seemed to linger all day with nothing of value added from either side’s PR and/or IR offices
and i still haven’t heard a definitive yes or no
if this falls through, terry semel better pull a rabbit out of his hat because the stock may gather some serious downward momentum. the board has been desperate to deliver something to shareholders and games like this aren’t helping. i am sure there is more than one institutional holder not too jazzed to be victimized in a pump-n-dump
sami, you mean the difference of 2.4 billion ass.
Wall Street is all ’bout speculation, eh?
I think it’s time for people to think about how the blogs and news can decrease the Echo Chamber on rumors – this caused a large stock movement. It’s quite possible that certain people set up trades and then set up this “news event”. If so, I hope the SEC investigates it fully.
RUMORS RUMORS RUMORS Let’s all do the rumor dance.
Bet Semel just wanted to pump his options to buy a couple underage hookers from Hollyweird land
Its hard to imagine Microsoft acquiring Yahoo! I’m not sure it would be a good decision. So much technology overlap.
Hm, I guess only time will tell on this one.
A perfect submission topic for Guy Kawasaki’s new site, Truemors.
I don’t think this i going to happen, but I think it would be good if it did.
@ 2
Google don’t have the money! they took about 1:4 of there available cash when they acquired DoubleClick, how will they buy something 10x more expensive?
@ 5
I think that is search integration, Google were serving Yahoo’s search results up until a couple of years ago
let’s see; google and yahoo———yahoogle?
yahoo and MSFT———————–microhoo?
gotta think. gotta think.
=bg=
Microsoft + Google = SoftGoo
GJ
http://www.60in3.com
Just a 38bil, google can eat it anytime.
I’ve just been offered a job at Yahoo! If Microsoft does buy Yahoo, then I hope they don’t downsize the Yahoo operations. I’m quite looking forward to being part of the team fighting Microsoft and Google.
eBusiness made a good point… Google has no real competition yet, which means they can do what they like. I like Google, but they’ve started to censor certain search results, which I don’t agree with at all. Without a legitimate competitor for me to turn to, though, Google doesn’t care.
@David Mackey
Technology overlap is generally a good reason to merge, especially when you are trying to take down a titan like Google in search. You eliminate redundant expenses and grow your user base by a lot.
@PohEe
It’s 38 billion market cap now, but if you want to go out and buy the company, you have to pay more. Basic supply and demand. 50 billion is a good starting point, and that’s 1/3 of Google’s market cap… that’s a huge decision and not without risk.