Microsoft to Google: We got cash too!
Google picked up DoubleClick right from under Microsoft’s nose. And prior to that, they snatched the deal to provide search advertising on AOL sites. Things like that can make any multi-billon dollar company a little bit upset. “Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, we’re buying Yahoo!. Think about that for a while.”
Microsoft has showed renewed interest in a takeover of Yahoo, the New York Post reports. This is not the first time Microsoft has showed an interest in taking over the internet giant, but sources now say that Microsoft is willing to dig deeper in their pockets and find the money a deal requires. And it’s not small sums we are talking about here: Wall Street sources estimates a price tag of around $50 billion. (In comparison Google paid $3.1 billion for DoubleClick)
Yahoo! stock prices are up 18% from yesterday, in anticipation of a future takeover. Microsoft stocks not doing as good with a drop of one point five percent.
I just have one thing to say: You go Bill!
4 comments:
I have no doubt this would be a good thing for MS, and they can surely afford it. It would be a bad thing for the internets though... sickens me. Yahoo might not be the big, bright cool company they once were, to most of us. But they still do a whole lot of cool stuff, and I would hate to see them get in the hands of Ballmer and his monkey crew.
Microsoft: you should get back to refining your own search engine venture, http://www.msdewey.com/
Gaah, who am I kidding...
New/better product/service -> Rising Star -> Bought/Consolidating/Renewing -> Stagnated/Overtaken/Renewed/Pushed out.
Take your picks, but it's how things usually go. Microsoft needs to reinvent or reinforce themselves soon, like IBM did, or decline rapidly. They haven't brought forth anything essential, new or interesting in a long time, and spend far too much time consolidating what they have. I don't think they're in the right position to do so, unless they reinvent or renew how they do things.
( No other company in the world can compete with the amount of patents and inventions pushed out each year that IBM does )
When most web 2.0 companies' buisness model is beeing bought up by a bigger company with deep pocets, I'd say it's working as intended.
And all is not horrible at Microsoft. In no particuar order:
Silverlight - it might be a bit behind flash, but it's gotten some pretty good feedback
HD photo - no introduction needed, right? listen to this Week in Media episode 51
Windows Live - some really positive things have come out of the Live name. lastly the redesigned hotmail client
Zune - it might not have cought on quite yet, but its still a nice move from Microsoft. 2.0 is supposedly right around the corner
Vista - love it or hate it, it will be a success
Xbox - this really needs no introduction
I'd lean more to copy-cat tendencies and attempts at trying to join in on the fun than actual innovations and improvements.
They're not as much a trendsetter or someone you look at for future content and whatnot. More like "What'll they try to do this time?", with emphasis on try, in a Yoda way of 'do'.
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