Microsoft bids $44.6-billion for Yahoo!

[Darwin]

Subject says it all (thanks to the headline writer at the Globe and Mail  :))... I wonder how long it will take Google to try to have this blocked, if Yahoo! proves interested?

Read more at the link provided. Though in fairness it's headline news on all the news sites that I frequent (cbc.ca, NYTimes, Vancouver Sun,... etc.).

edit by jgpaiva: added image

[mouser]

I'll just remind readers of this post:
http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=6962.0

[Darwin]

Heh, heh - nice one mouser!

Thanks for posting the image, João - I never think to do that 

[zridling]

The Globe & Mail is one of my favorite newspapers. Seems like MS has spent this entire decade -- not to mention the previous one -- protecting its monopoly instead of innovating and building good, new software. I can't see how buying a very distant second-place search engine in Yahoo, who is laying off workers faster than AOL did, is going to help them compete with Google. Google's built-in revenue model seems to be the one thing that MS desires more than anything else, and unable to see the bigger picture, they keep missing the mark.

[Darwin]

Just found a piece on the BBC website that suggests that an M$/Yahoo marriage would receive regulatory approval in the US:

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[Darwin]

And Google jumps into the fray (sort of...):

In a bid to preserve its dominance on the Web, Google Inc. is seeking to derail Microsoft Corp.'s plan to gobble up Yahoo Inc.

Since learning of Microsoft's $44.6-billion US unsolicited bid on Friday, Google has gone on the offensive, saying the merger would threaten Web innovation and competition.

At the same time, behind the scenes, the Internet giant is said to reaching out to rivals who may be interested in putting together a competing bid for Yahoo.

from the Vancouver Sun.

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[Lashiec]

I think I'd take a seat. This purchase will take a looooong time (look at Google and DoubleClick), and those involved are still thinking what to do, Yahoo! studying the proposal, Google playing the fear card and bringing up the possibility of an alliance with Yahoo!, and Microsoft wondering how are they going to get the money needed for the operation and how Yahoo! will integrate within the company.

The few articles I read talking about the whole issue consider everything as bad thing for both companies involved, for a lot of reasons (you know which are the important ones). I think the same, mostly because I despise this kind of integration between big corporations to form megacorporations that seems to be so frequent in this day and age. Of course, there are all kind of opinions, Paul Thurrott is going happy happy joy joy over the marriage, and others are claiming the death of Microsoft because this bid means they lack innovation capabilities (*ahem*)

[Renegade]

I'll just remind readers of this post:
http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=6962.0

But shouldn't it be $997?

As for the Yahoo thing, I'm hoping that it creates some competition for Google and brings down the price of CPC ads. Getting a $5 minimum bid for "super ultra obscure keyword that nobody is bidding on" is just silly.

[Armando]

$44.6-billion.  That's a lot a lot a lot of money.