Microsoft and Yahoo: no deal
By Ryan Block 
posted May 4th 2007 7:29PM
posted May 4th 2007 7:29PM
According to The Journal, the Microsoft / Yahoo merger talks which first took place a year ago (and then again "in recent months", as was discovered today) turned up nil -- that's right, the deal's off. Again. Not that it was ever on. Anyway, apparently discussions are in fact no longer active, and it was concluded that competing is apparently marginally more productive than merging for the two mammoth businesses. (Seriously, can you imagine how much product overlap there would have been between the two?) And trust us, the last thing 75k-large Microsoft needs right now is another personnel infusion of over ten thousand people having a hard enough time as it is keeping up with the business. Bottom line: looks like both companies are on their own against the big G. Best of luck to 'em. [Warning: subscription required for read link]
Not to be a hetr...but competition is better than monopolies. MS is big enuff as it is. Competition=better products for us. e.g the Zune
While I totally agree competition is better, I have to ask... you actually believe Zune's a better product than anything else? ;D
sony wants yahoo =P
no surprises here.
Dear competitor, please help me do better,
Love, your competitor.
Both are already bloated... but from what I could tell yahoo is the worst.
I wonder what Ayn Rand would think about Microsoft?
They should just implement XMPP. Then they wouldn't have to merge and it would still be possible to chat from one to the other.
Pfft! The Blind leading the blind. Or rather, the near sighted leading the far sighted. Microsoft is too mired in its past business model (or cash cow if you will) to grasp the sea change that is reshaping the tech landscape. So its solution, as always, is to buy its way into a new space. Unfortunately for them, nobody wants to hitch their wagon to an old mule.
Sorry Balmer.
I will say this first ATT and Verizon will buy Yahoo
why doesn't Microsoft just give up and ride out it's cash-cow monopoly to the bitter end? close down all the money-losing distractions that are not tied to the monopoly closely enough to succeed, and invest the cash. that would maximize revenue and stop MS from wasting piles of dollars.
MSN, search, Xbox all got to go.
instead, they are trying to diversify for when the monopoly ends or becomes irrelevant, wasting billions. i like the Xbox like the rest of us but for shareholders it's just dollar bills down the drain. "yeah we'll lose money on it for the first 10 years..." is not a business plan.
Thank god.
nikster: the Xbox is actually reportedly going to be profitable next year.
http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2007/05/04/robbie-bach-360-will-be-profitable-in-2008/
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2125545,00.asp
Of course, they've sunk so much money into Xbox that it'll be a long, long time until they can recoup their investment. But still, now seems like a strange time to get rid of the Xbox.
When it comes to MSN and Search, though... well, if they want to just sit it out until Windows and Office and whatever are obsolete and they can call it a day, then yeah, it'd be a good idea to sell off MSN. (To Yahoo?) But I think they want to keep trying, and kudos to them for that. No matter what you think of MS -- personally, I think Live Maps is really good, for instance -- It makes everyone try harder. :)
Google owns everybody and everything. These two should quit pecking around.
I knew there would be no deal. Why don't MSFT and Ask Jeeves talk about some kind of deal?
I don't understand how people say now that MSFT is such a monopoly when there is open source that people are free to use, and online apps for doing almost anything productive, as well as other searches and messaging options. Yet Google along with Gmail is tracking everything people do like Big Brother and they are such the Golden Child. Nothing is wrong with Yahoo but they get the worst shake in all of this.
This deal may be dead right now but something big will happen this year between two of these three companies IAC, Yahoo, eBay. My take is Yahoo and eBay will get together with Meg running the new company. I think MSFT will continue to be on the sidelines.
Google sucks big time