You know all about it by now, and if you don’t, you can get the scoop just about anywhere. Yes, Microsoft wants to buy Yahoo at a mind boggling 44.6 billion dollar valuation.
What I find strange about Microsoft’s move is the fact that it’s one sided. The deal is not officially closed yet; in fact, Yahoo hasn’t said yes to Microsoft; hell, they haven’t even signed the prenup yet. Given the fact that rumors about Microsoft buying Yahoo have been floating around for literary years (and the last time we heard it the valuation was 50 billion dollars,) one would expect that Microsoft would wait until the deal is really set in stone and then go public with it in a joint statement with Yahoo.
Instead, they go with a one sided proposal; dead serious and very accurate as far as numbers go, but still one sided. Is it a sign of desperation? After all, Google has been dominating a very, very large chunk of the online services business for a long time - especially advertising, where the real money lies. Or is it the fine print in an already signed deal with Yahoo that says that Microsoft has to come out of the closet first?
In any case, it would be very interesting (although unlikely) if Yahoo declined the offer; it’d be like to wounded soldiers with a feud, refusing to help each other and marching, both alone, towards an unhappy ending.
I another web company busted by micro$oft. It’s will be the end of all the yahoo service, it’s the service don’t pay well, it’s will be cut. That’s $$$ vision of micro$oft.
I think Yahoo has a chance to compete against Google if left alone — but if purchased by Microsoft, I think there’d be way too much restructuring and reorganization to kickstart the innovation at Yahoo. One thing that sticks in my mind will be how Flickr may fair…
I think Yahoo will inevitably be touched by Microsoft’s ‘opposite of the Midas touch.’ We’ve just got Office 2007 at work and it’s amazing how frought with inconsistencies and annoyances it is. Microsoft can get away with this sort of clumsiness on a product people buy, but it just doesn’t cut it with the flighty behaviour of people online.
Well, I can add that I don’t believe in big companies. They’re slow and inert most of the time. Online business is moving too fast, joining two behemoth into one is not a good idea. Some smaller business will always go all disruptive on you. Perhaps YHOO/MSFT won’t challenge GOOG, but some smaller company will, in due time.