Microsoft, Yahoo! Start Talking Again

Microsoft, Yahoo! Start Talking Again

Saturday, April 11, 2009 - by Michael Santo
Talks between Microsoft and Yahoo! over a possible search advertising partnership have begun anew, according to multiple reports. The reports came from sources familiar with the situation.

Yahoo! Chief Executive Carol Bartz and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer met last week as part of the discussions. Discussion are still in early stages, but do not include a possible acquisition by Microsoft, an earlier attempt of which was fought off by Yahoo! last year.

One outsider who had been told of the discussions said:
“It’s long past time. With Google’s huge market share, these two need to work together and the problems they had should be put in the past.”
According to the WSJ, possible scenarios would include:
  • Yahoo outsourcing its entire search engine to Microsoft to cut costs
  • More limited deals, such as Yahoo selling some premium display advertising on Microsoft's Web sites and Microsoft selling ads next to Yahoo search results
The only sure thing at this time is you have be thinking that Jerry Yang has been smacking himself in the head (for some time!) for not taking Microsoft's offer last year.
Via: Various | News Archive | Tags: Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Internet
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By kid007 on Apr 11, 2009

Sweet, hopefully they will get their act straight and roll the ball and start helping themself out!

By 3vi1 on Apr 11, 2009

How did the meeting go, in terms of numbers of chairs thrown?

The stockholders might want to smack Jerry for not selling out last year, but I'll bet that the people actually doing the work at Yahoo don't.

Even in my wildest imagination I cannot see Microsoft firing 5000 of their own employees in January and not using the economic downturn excuse/opportunity to also send as many Yahoo employees packing as possible. After all, MS is after Yahoo's marketshare and contractual agreements, not any specific tech or human resources.

If I worked at Yahoo, I'd be singing Jerry's praises.  He was thinking about the company and its employees more than making a quick buck for himself (undoubtedly he had huge stock options).

By Riks on Apr 11, 2009

i was wondering when those two would get back together

By dizowned on Apr 12, 2009

Yea, I kind of agree with Jerry's actions on the whole "merger"/"hey were Microsoft and are here to buy you out". I've always wondered what it would take for execs to say no as they watch the big trucks of MS buyout money rolling in ..., with that said the two companies do need to at least be in business with each other, if for nothing else, survival, in response to the "reces ... economic downturn".

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