Microsoft Tells Its Alternate Yahoo Board Members It Won’t Be Needing Them

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1. jenkins
   

   May 8th, 2008 at 4:21 pm

   stunning information. I thought they were all waiting in the green room for all this time!

2. sam
   

   May 8th, 2008 at 4:22 pm

   eirc/techcrunch…

   how the hell can youguys continue to write/spout such drivel.

   how can you imply that you’ve glanced into the minds of the people who’ve purchased yahoo shares and deduce that they were simply willing to pay the price over the last few days because they were hoping for a microsoft possible renewed buyout offer!!!

   if you’re this good… my god you need a second job!! (sarcasm off)

   it could be that people are taking a flying leap on yahoo, with the expectation that google might come through, and add $$$ based on a search/ad relationship… might be that people are hoping for msoft….

   could be part of a short squeeze… in other words.. it could be a number of things.

   give a monkey a keyboard… and this is what is produced!!!

   puhleeze!

   peace

3. stone
   

   May 8th, 2008 at 4:24 pm

   Guys,

   Please stick to “pumping and dumping” poor little start-ups and leave the major league stuff to The Wall Street Journal.

4. Rob Ellis
   

   May 8th, 2008 at 4:25 pm

   I can’t believe that microsoft can afford to walk away, it is not over yet. Drama draws attention, investors, page views, etc, etc.

5. Andre van Rooyen
   

   May 8th, 2008 at 4:28 pm

   Hey Sam. A little more water with that, huh?
   Erick offered no opinions, simply reported the facts.

6. ac
   

   May 8th, 2008 at 4:29 pm

   google screwed yahoo shareholders. Microsoft has walked away. It is too much mony and risk given yahoo management is hostile.

7. Joseph Hunkins
   

   May 8th, 2008 at 4:41 pm

   Well..maybe. But I think MS is just playing this very smart. These little measures are designed to get the current Yahoo board to rethink their folly. I think only Jerry was dead set against the merge.r

   Yahoo should have sold at 22 and will sell at 34 due to pressure from Shareholders and (more importantly) heavily vested board members who are “losing”, collectively, several billion dollars by sticking to their guns in this.

8. çiçek
   

   May 8th, 2008 at 4:47 pm

   Well..maybe. But I think MS is just playing this very smart. These little measures are designed to get the current Yahoo board to rethink their folly. I think only Jerry was dead set against the merge.r

9. James Hardie
   

   May 8th, 2008 at 4:54 pm

   Interesting. Doing things in half-measures is never a winning strategy. So its probably the right move in this high stakes poker game.

10. george
    

    May 8th, 2008 at 4:59 pm

    How come TC didn’t report at all about Yahoo’s launch of “Glue” today? More interesting to report some email to would-be board of directors?

    I thought TC cared more about innovation than drama.

11. george
    

    May 8th, 2008 at 5:03 pm

    In order for Microsoft to grow, Yahoo is needed. There are only a few other companies that has the presence of Yahoo that would produce enough growth to Microsoft for it to sustain its $220B market cap.

12. nitsuj
    

    May 8th, 2008 at 5:07 pm

    “google screwed yahoo shareholders.”

    FAIL. Yahoo’s board/Jerry Yang screwed Yahoo shareholders. This whole negotiation process has played out like a 101 level class and the only people unaware of it are Yahoo’s board.

13. stone
    

    May 8th, 2008 at 6:08 pm

    This is all about strategy and tactics. Microsoft will still buy Yahoo. They need their stock to go back down a bit and they need the market to believe that the deal is dead. Only then will they get a deal done.

14. jacky
    

    May 8th, 2008 at 6:40 pm

    I think yahoo will be sad.
    But Microsoft not be happy too.

15. Mogilny
    

    May 8th, 2008 at 6:47 pm

    MS needs to admit defeat in the web space and focus on the next big battle, mobile web space. It is ahead there but really needs to show more innovation (No, stupid productivity software on a 2″ screen is not innovation). Mobile space isn’t as simple as porting what worked in the web space/ pc space over. Use that 47 billion and buy twitter, steal verizon away from google. Admit defeat, and go fight in a battle you can win.

16. stone
    

    May 8th, 2008 at 6:51 pm

    They know if Google controls search and email then they will eventually control web-based software and that will kill Microsoft.

17. Mogilny
    

    May 8th, 2008 at 7:10 pm

    @stone That’s a big leap in logic… from search and email to controlling web-based software. But for this argument’s sake, let’s assume you are right. It still won’t kill MS. MS still has its crappy OS, xbox, ASP software, other crapware, mad corporate partnerships… MS’s attempt to buy yahoo wasn’t a defensive move, it was purely offensive. MS wants the growth that google reports. I think if they want growth, focus on the mobile space, dumping 47 billion on a half ass web company is not the solution. Takeovers aren’t instant, it will take time for MS to integrate yahoo’s asset… by then, google will be WAY WAY a head

18. Crazyglues
    

    May 8th, 2008 at 7:35 pm

    I think Microsoft has seriously decided to walk away from the deal, a hostile bid was in no ones best interest and yahoo’s unwillingness to come to the table made this whole thing fall apart.

    I think Microsoft will look at other options, there are things they can do. I think yahoo has forced them to explore those options.

    If I was yahoo, I wouldn’t be so quick to put that flag up as a sign of victory, since stepping away from the table may have not been yahoo’s brightest moment.

19. Frank Daley
    

    May 8th, 2008 at 8:35 pm

    No way has Microsoft given up hope of capturing Yahoo.

    To say that it has flies in the face of the history of the world’s biggest corporate bully.

    My money is on a ploy that the email is a public front to pretend it has lost interest, hoping to keep the Yahoo share price as low as possible, but meanwhile is feverishly working in the background to do a deal.

    Meanwhile, all the potential board members have received a phone call telling them of the plan.

20. Jim
    

    May 8th, 2008 at 8:54 pm

    I think everyone in the tech world owes it to Yahoo to set their firefox or safari default search engine to Yahoo. Let’s support the company that pioneered so much for us. Their search results are just as good as Google’s, and nice to avoid big brother tracking your searches.

21. Flashcard
    

    May 8th, 2008 at 8:54 pm

    As someone who has done corporate development, I can assure you that one only draws publicity to an action when one is sending a message. By leaking that the alternate board is no longer needed, they send both the market and Yahoo a bluff that they are no longer interested in Yahoo at all. In fact, after hearing of the various defense strategies (poison pills et al.) Microsoft is probably wise not to go hostile. But leaking this info means that they want the Yahoo share price to drop further to make a Microsoft acquisition seem more palatable. After the breakup and price decline of Yahoo this week, I tripled my position in Yahoo at just north of $24/share, so I am one who puts his money where his mouth is

22. Masseratti
    

    May 8th, 2008 at 9:13 pm

    M$ was never interested in yahoo, all they wanted was to cause some damage in order to take over the second spot in the online world by spending the less money posible.

    How to do that?
    Spreading false acquisition rumors and paying pseudo-journalists to hype their game.
    Then they walk away blaming the other party for their own ineptitude.

    But it didn’t work out the way they wanted. Yahoo is stronger, Ballmer is seen as a quitter and M$ will never be an online giant.

    No matter how much FUD they spread!

23. One Year Millionaire
    

    May 8th, 2008 at 10:32 pm

    It is interesting to see this unroll. Microsoft has been wishy-washy the whole time… but does anyone know what Google is going to do?

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