Yahoo: It's An Offer We Can RefuseYahoo says, "No thank you," Microsoft says, "We'll see about that." Some perspectives on the potential deal-of-the-year: Our Damon Poeter lays out the possibilities... "With Yahoo!, Microsoft would immediately own arguably the second-biggest Web platform in the world from which to start reinventing its distribution model. Add in Yahoo! assets like Flickr, and its IM and music services, and Microsoft suddenly has a whole lot of weapons to take on Google." ... and dangers facing Microsoft: "Microsoft hasn't done online well in the past, there's no reason to think it will even with the acquisition of a second-rate search company, and the company ought to stick to what actually makes it lots of money -- providing partners with a channel program that's second to none." Fredric Paul looks at the deals impact on smaller companies: "If you think that Google is too powerful for the good of the smaller fish with which it shares the Internet, then a stronger competitor should offer hope -- even if that competitor is Microsoft." While Google (no surprise) says what they really think: "Could Microsoft now attempt to exert the same sort of inappropriate and illegal influence over the Internet that it did with the PC? While the Internet rewards competitive innovation, Microsoft has frequently sought to establish proprietary monopolies -- and then leverage its dominance into new, adjacent markets." Barry Ritholtz sees another potential bidder: "The latest rumor to make the rounds was that Yahoo was just about to announce a negotiated transaction for the sale of the company to an East Coast private equity firm. Then Microsoft stepped in the way... While this remains unconfirmed by anyone willing to make an on-the-record statement, it is well sourced enough that I suspect there is sat least some degree of truth to it." But the most amusing analysis I've seen comes from "The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs" by Forbes writer Daniel Lyons. He says, well, you'll see...: "Here's the really dark part of all this. [Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer] knows it won't work. He has to know this. He's not stupid. The cultures will never fit together. And the deal is too big. It's not manageable. And it's completely anathema to Microsoft. It's totally out of character for them. It goes against everything the company has ever stood for. Ballmer knows this, and he's doing it anyway. Because this is exactly what every old-guard CEO does when all else fails." Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:04 PM, February 12, 2008 This is a public forum. United Business Media and its affiliates are not responsible for and do not control what is posted herein. United Business Media makes no warranties or guarantees concerning any advice dispensed by its staff members or readers. Community standards in this comment area do not permit hate language, excessive profanity, or other patently offensive language. Please be aware that all information posted to this comment area becomes the property of United Business Media LLC and may be edited and republished in print or electronic format as outlined in United Business Media's Terms of Service. Important Note: This comment area is NOT intended for commercial messages or solicitations of business. |
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