I don’t know if the tank in the image is supposed to be Microsoft or Google. But it’s clear who the guy is. And it’s clear what happens next. The tank wins.
Yahoo is so out-gunned in its fight to simply stay independent that it isn’t even funny anymore. Microsoft’s serious attempts to take over the company are over, even though Yahoo shareholders have begun to prostrate themselves in grief. Oh, if only they could go back and take that $31 offer.
Now Microsoft just appears to be toying with Yahoo as the they try to finalize a search outsourcing deal with Google. They’ve thrown their own name is a possible partner in the search business via a public announcement today as well as a strategically leaked internal memo (both are here). Yahoo, as always, fires back reactively and impotently. Their message boils down to “Jesus Christ, people, please stop suing us. I swear to God, we’re trying our best.”
So what happens next? Literally anything. Microsoft could partner with Yahoo on a search deal. Or Yahoo may do something with Google instead and fight it on the regulatory front. Or the whole acquisition may come back on the table.
But whatever happens, it’s clear that Microsoft is very much in the drivers seat, and Yahoo’s head is spinning. I can’t imagine this can go on for much longer. And frankly, Yahoo’s stockholders and employees deserve some kind of mercy killing at this point.
The big news this week may actually be Microsoft’s upcoming announcement at Advance08. In Kevin Johnson’s email today, he hinted at what might be announced:
On Wednesday, we will be announcing a major new initiative that our search teams have been driving. We are getting better and better with our core algorithmic search, and at the same time, we are investing to differentiate in vertical experiences and to disrupt the current model. You’ll hear more about our plans Wednesday.
I’ll be at the event and live blogging, so stay tuned.
What’s the point of putting tank picture and a man? please be sensitive.
Seriously. Also, the guy won. It’s not really about being insensitive but about disrespecting and misrepresenting important ideas and actions.
best post ever! keep the pic!
Michael, you know, lots of people died during the Tiananmen Square Massacre incident. I know you’re looking for a metaphor, but this isn’t appropriate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T.....ts_of_1989
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T.....ts_of_1989
#2 hit it on the head — the guy won.
Goldman Sachs moves back to “Yahoo!: Not Rated”. Microsoft as well this time around. What does it mean?
http://hepguru.com/blog/2008/0.....the-works/
uhm … the country is in mourning, isn’t it? i mean, be insensitive to massacres if that’s your thing, but this doesn’t seem like the time to use the picture.
I can only say this…”Leave yahoo alaaaooone!!, What did she do to you?”
stupid and offensive post. Please be sensitive. You should know what happened around world, right?
Hahaha, I like the pic with the story.. and how much its being flamed for being used. Come on guys its proving a point.. Why try to stop something that will happen regardless of how much people don’t want it to happen.
ma, you’re an idiot. if only you knew a little history of this photo… show some respect man.
That sums up Michael Arrington want. To get more click, more money, more publicity with whatever means possible.
Nice pic.. marginal timing.. when the whole country mourns the deaths of the earthquake
Also, the more people comment on it, he achieve his purpose. page view… TechCrunch is all about pageview. nothing else.
To compare yahoo to that valiant, innocent Chinese victim? Are you out of your mind!?
wait wait wait, you think microsoft is in the driver’s seat? maybe you are talking about the wrong car. the car ballmer drives is trying to catch up to google, and they are clearly not confident that they can do it without yahoo.
oh, and forget kevin johnson’s memo. there were at least ten similarly themed memos from microsoft during the last five years; none of them mattered, and neither does this one. it’s a bluff as they do a U from their walk-off back to the table. Someone really needs the Yahoo search share, bad.
@16 — remember that Jerry Yang is Chinese, albeit American Chinese.
Stupid editor. Do you know China is in mouring??Fuck you , idiot.
Show some good taste. Today is china’s mourning day for 12 may earthquake victims. Show some respect.
@16 — in fact, that pic depicts bravery (and defiance).. honestly, not a bad choice.
Oh geez. As soon as Yahoo, or any company, becomes publicly owned, this can happen. If has happened before with other companies (how do you think General Motors was created) and it will happen again.
The only reason why we are actively paying so much attention to the situation is the Microsoft (Purported Big Evil corporation) to Yahoo (”Stuck in the middle again” and very far from innocent) to Google (”Do no Evil” is like Satan saying “I am innocent”).
Public companies must answer to their shareholders. If Yahoo, or any other public company, does not want that whip smacking it, then I suggest they purchase back the majority of their stock. If Yahoo is not able to accomplish that little feat, then it is time to put done the cheese, quit whining, and acknowledge that the board is really not in control; the shareholders are.
If the shareholders have faith with the board, then all is well. If the shareholders do not have faith in the board, then the board needs to “Business-Up” and get with the program.
In this case, I think Yahoo’s goose is get trussed-up for the oven and there is probably not much they can do about it as the company is completely over-extended and very exposed.
when i saw the pic i thought ‘he can’t be serious’. and now after reading the comments i’m glad, i’m not the only one who identified it as a totally inappropriate (and wrong) visualisation. this certainly doesn’t match the ridiculous ms/yahoo/goog-fight….
if mike arrington used a picture of a baby trapped under a pile of rubbles in the earthquake zone, you’ve got a bone to pick. but what does the tank vs. man pic got to do with anything? The world is full of pictures that have some linkage to people suffering or dying, but if we censor these pictures there’ll be nothing left to show. Chill people.
By having this picture, I totally lost my respect for Michael Arrington and TechCrunch. That’s all I want to say.
Pls remove the picture, it’s not something to joke about. Show some respect, it’s china’s mourning day for 12 may earthquake victims today.
If you choose to be offended, go for it. If your innocent sensibilities can’t handle the intertubes, then own that don’t blame others.
The whole country mourned for the death. Yes, you don’t have to, because you are not part of the country and you have no family nor friends lost in this accident. But Michael, I hate to say this, morally you are pygmies.
You idiots whine too much. Eventually someone grabbed the guy and the tanks rolled on and the Communist Party have been winning in China ever since. There are much bigger travesties on this world.
Might as well have just posted the picture. At least thats what I’m hearing from these comments.
Yes — the whole country is mourning for the horrible tragedy, but why are people connecting his “ethics” analogy to an earthquake? totally agreed with 26… grow up people.
Just wondering, earlier there was at least one more company who wanted Yahoo, but did not want to get into a ‘bidding war’ with MS. Now where have they suddenly disappeared.
Also came across these cartoons that capture some of the silliness of this entire episode.
http://ameteurtooner.blogspot......0-%20Yahoo
Wow, The picture was just plain silly. It shows how amazingly unintelligent some blog writers can be:
Let me clear this up if you guys havent figured it out yet:
The picture represents the little guy standing up to a HUGE TANK and winning, it shows BRAVERY. Yet the point of the post is something else. The point of the post is YAHOO THE LITTLE GUY is bending over and getting F*&$ now… The picture actually represents nothing, word of advice michael, read some non TECH lit, it will help you choose appropriate books
The lack of knowledge Michael has about this world famous photo is amazing. It has the exact opposite meaning he’s trying to convey in his post.
I wonder if posts like this on mainstream blogs like TC will eventually shift people back towards reputable journalism, at least a little. I love the blog culture but posts like this give me pause.
#26 Trace, the problem isn’t the er “intertubes”. It’s boors like you.
The picture is tasteless.
And guess what — the guy won. In this case, losing is winning because you have the moral upper hand and ultimately, China stands condemned for what they did. The guy also didn’t get grabbed, but danced out of the way in the end. And China’s CP may roll on but it’s a disgrace, and people in and out of China know that.
I will hug my Yahoo email closer tonight and urge them to charge me for it.
Arrington must have liked pulling wings of flies when he was little.
wow! very classy mike. that photo is very sensitive and you put it there for a stupid topic. thats really cool of you idiot. there were a lot of people who died at the tiananmen square and you post this photo to prove your stupid point. why dont you let your slave designers photoshop one, dont use a sensitive photo of a sensitive event. idiot.
Don’t think this picture put your points across…
check out all the Chinese website today… it’s monochromic to mourn for the victims in the China Earthquake.
I agree that using this picture is offensive, unethical, tasteless, stupid, etc. But most of all, this is very, very unprofessional.
This gives a powerful argument to all the old school folks who think blogging is a joke and you can’t really trust bloggers. It’s too bad such a mistake comes from someone as smart and (usually) competent as Michael Arrington.
I don’t think the picture should be removed, by the way. It would be too easy. Also, it would feel like “crowdsourced censorship” to me.
You might want to get your facts straight about what actually happened in the picture above. This one guy stopped that tank, and those tanks behind him. The tank tried to go around this one guy, and each time, the guy placed himself in front of the tank preventing it from moving forward.
Then this one guy jumped on the tank and asked the driver what he was doing and why he was here. And then resumed his place in front of the tank. Several people dragged this guy away, but the tanks did nothing until he was forcibly removed.
This one person is a symbol of the courage of the Chinese people.
If we only had people of such courage in Silicon Valley, it would be a much better place.
What a mishap…
Actually the ‘guy’ in the picture won.
And frankly be careful with metaphors and historical examples because this is why other people think of tech savvies as being illiterate
I think Yahoo will make a few month later a deal with Google instead and then there will only stay two search engines for the internet.
@haters: It’s called humor. The fact that the analogy to Tiananmen is ridiculous makes it even funnier.
lol
TechCrunch is gonna be blocked by the huge firewall of China (or blocked?).
@ number 40. we do have a sense of humor sir. but this one aint funny. idiots such as you who are insensitive find this funny.
Wow. All you people who complain about TechCrunch all the time - please go somewhere else if you are unhappy.
Allow me to explain the image for you:
- Microsoft is the 1st tank
- Google is the 2nd tank
- Yahoo is the puny little guy about to get crushed if he keeps standing there. His best chance is too jump on one of the tanks and hold on for dear life.
The photo has nothing to do with earthquake deaths.
Debates generated and case argued.. everybody happy now..
Sigh. 
@33
The problem with being trying to pretend you’re smart is that you’re doing a horrible job at pulling it off.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=mrQqDqOx3KY
Danced out of the way? Danced out of way? Are you serious?
The comments above prove that the picture is distracting from the content of the post. If not for the other very valid reasons cited above, this reason should be sufficient in order to replace the picture.
It was a very poor choice for comparison and especially on a day when rallies and memorials for 40,000 dead in China were held in Tiananmen Square.
You got a lot of traffic out of this one though. I am guessing you will leave this insensitivity in public view.
Trace, do you live in a cave?
You could have waited until August and the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and made a comparison to Fat Man and Little Boy or….
Ya know what …
Communist China has been trying to poison people and animals for the past few years, so, what goes around comes around.
Mourn this !!
Seriously, I read TechCrunch daily and I’m not easily offended, but this comparison between Tiananmen Square and Yahoo! is beyond the pale.