Microsoft Yahoo The Blogs Weigh In: related news

Yahoo! Announces Microsoft Talks Have Concluded

Yahoo! (YHOO) today announced that discussions with Microsoft (MSFT) regarding a potential transaction—whether for an acquisition of all of Yahoo or a partial acquisition—have concluded. The conclusion of discussions follows numerous meetings and conversations with Microsoft regarding a number of transaction alternatives, including a meeting between Yahoo and Microsoft on June 8 in which Chairman Roy Bostock and other independent board members from Yahoo participated. At that meeting, Microsoft representatives stated unequivocally that Microsoft is not interested in pursuing an acquisition of all of Yahoo, even at the price range it had previously suggested.

Yahoo! rejected Microsoft bid for search business, due to exclusivity clause

Microsoft dropped bid for all of Yahoo! on 8 June and launched a bid of USD 1 billion for Yahoo!'s search business and a share of future search advertising revenue. This proposal also included an USD billion investment in Yahoo! but required Yahoo! to commit to a 10-year exclusive arrangement, according to a letter sent to Yahoo! stockholders by CEO Jerry Yang and Chairman Roy Bostock. The letter explains the reasons for Yahoo! to sign a four year non-exclusive deal with Google for online advertising services and to end the talks with Microsoft, as their search-only hybrid proposal may have been helpful to Microsoft. The board and its advisers also carefully studied the financial impact of Microsoft's proposal and concluded that it would have provided no meaningful improvement to the operating cash flow.

Microsoft-Yahoo Searching For A Price; Talks Could End Next Week: Reports

In the latest developments between Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) and Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO), Reuters reports that the two parties are now focused on arriving at a value for Yahoo’s search business, and that discussions could end in the “next week or so.” The story, which quoted an unnamed person familiar with the matter, said in the latest scenario, Microsoft is proposing to buy Yahoo’s search business and take a minority stake in the company after Yahoo sells off its Asian assets. But apparently, the complicated part is in determining a price. The source explained that any amount “would be tied to how revenue-sharing and other deal terms are structured.” Two possibilities: Microsoft may pay Yahoo for search queries and traffic acquisition costs and Yahoo may seek guarantees on the rate Microsoft will pay and a specific time commitment f

Microsoft Offered $40 a Share For Yahoo

fistfullast33l writes "Bloomberg is reporting that a recently unsealed court case by shareholders against Yahoo reveals that Microsoft offered $40 a share for the Internet search company in January 2007 and Yahoo turned it down. We've extensively discussed Microsoft's bid for Yahoo earlier this year for $33 a share, which was rebuffed. Investor Carl Icahn has launched a proxy fight against Yahoo over the spurning of the Microsoft deal." CWmike notes of Computerworld's coverage of the revelations: "The complaint places much of the blame on [Yahoo CEO Jerry] Yang, describing him as someone with a 'well-known' antipathy toward Microsoft who acted out of a personal interest to keep Yahoo independent. Something wrong with that? Oh, yeah... public company.

Microsoft loses U.S. search users to Google and Yahoo

Microsoft lost Internet search users in the United States to Google and former takeover target Yahoo last month, research firm ComScore said. Microsoft, the world's biggest software maker, handled 8.5 percent of queries in May, down from 9.1 percent the month before, Reston, Va.-based ComScore said Thursday in a statement. Google extended its lead to 61.8 percent, and Yahoo grew to 20.6 percent, ComScore said. The companies are vying for a bigger piece of the $41 billion online advertising market. Microsoft's talks to buy Yahoo's search business for $1 billion ended last week, around the time Yahoo struck a deal to show some Google ads on its search pages. Microsoft's proposal would have included an $8 billion investment in Yahoo. Google handled 61.

Carl Icahn Takes on Yahoo's Board

narramissic and several others have written to point out that Carl Icahn has initiated a proxy battle with Yahoo's board of directors over their rejection of Microsoft's bid for the company in February. Icahn has purchased millions of Yahoo shares over the past week and assembled a group of nine other investors (including Mark Cuban) to persuade the board to resume talks with Microsoft. Yahoo remains unimpressed. Icahn's letter to Yahoo accuses: "It is unconscionable that you have not allowed your shareholders to choose to accept an offer that represented a 72% premium over Yahoo's closing price of $19.18 on the day before the initial Microsoft offer. I and many of your shareholders strongly believe that a combination between Yahoo and Microsoft would form a dynamic company and more importantly would be a force strong enough to compete wi

Microsoft's Yahoo Gameplay

Many Yahoo (YHOO) shareholders thought that Microsoft (MSFT) wasn’t done with Yahoo even when it said that it was walking away from the takeover bid. Some investors such as billionaire Carl Icahn decided to take matters into their own hands and work on a hostile takeover of Yahoo. Now Microsoft has come back to Yahoo and proposed a deal which would involve some sort of partnership or joint-venture rather than a full Microsoft takeover of Yahoo.

Microsoft proposes to buy Yahoo search

BOSTON (Reuters) -- Microsoft Corp has proposed to buy Yahoo Inc's search business and take a minority stake in the Web pioneer, stopping short of a full-out merger, a person familiar with the discussions said on Monday. As part of the deal Yahoo would put its Asian assets, including significant minority stakes in Yahoo Japan and China's Alibaba Group, up for sale, while Microsoft would buy a chunk of what remains of the company, the source said. The talks were revealed by the two companies on Sunday, but they declined to reveal the terms of the discussions. Earlier this month, Microsoft walked away from a proposal to acquire Yahoo for $47.5 billion, or $33 per share, after Yahoo rebuffed the offer, saying it would only settle for $37 a share.

Microsoft Offers to Buy Yahoo! Search

Following up on weekend reports about Microsoft and Yahoo! returning to merger talks, reports are now saying that the talks focus on Microsoft buying Yahoo!’s search business. Sources reportedly claim that Yahoo! would then sell off its Asian assets, including Chinese Internet company Alibaba Group and Yahoo! Japan. Reuters reported that Microsoft would then buy the remaining chunk of Yahoo!.

Microsoft-Yahoo: The Blogs Weigh In

The collapse of the Microsoft-Yahoo courtship and immediate 15% retreat by Yahoo's (YHOO) shares, albeit not quite the meltdown that some expected, led many bloggers to assert that CEO Jerry Yang had blown it. There was plenty of bile directed northward, as well, to Microsoft (MSFT) headquarters where CEO Steve Ballmer stands accused of botching a dalliance he'd so recently described as crucial to the software maker's future.

Yahoo Ends Talks With Microsoft, Embraces Google Instead

snydeq writes with a story from InfoWorld which says that "Yahoo has ended its talks with Microsoft and is instead nearing an agreement with Google. Yahoo's purported reason for breaking off the talks? That Microsoft was only interested in purchasing Yahoo's search business, not all of the company. 'Such a transaction would not be consistent with the company's view of the converging search and display marketplaces, would leave the company without an independent search business that it views as critical to its strategic future and would not be in the best interests of Yahoo stockholders,' the company said in a statement. The deal with Google allegedly involves Yahoo's search advertising business. The move likely will draw more ire from Icahn and may in fact remain part of the elaborate poker game between the two companies.

Google / Yahoo Spells Big Changes For Yahoo

Could this be the beginning of the end for Yahoo? Yahoo's interest in a search deal with Google was initially viewed as a poison pill move to thwart efforts of Microsoft to acquire Yahoo. I certainly saw it that way as did many others. Yahoo has continued down this path, announcing a deal with Google late Thursday afternoon. The deal basically outsources Yahoo's search ad placement to Google AdSense. Hey, I use AdSense on my personal blog, so why shouldn't Yahoo! The more the merrier I always say.

New chess match for Microsoft, Yahoo

So far, so good for Carl Icahn’s big bet that Microsoft (MSFT) and Yahoo (YHOO) will go back to the table. Yahoo shares rose 1% in premarket trading Monday, a day after Microsoft said it has proposed a new deal “that would involve a transaction with Yahoo but not an acquisition of all of Yahoo.” In response, Yahoo reiterated that it doesn’t want to be acquired but remains “open to pursuing any transaction which is in the best interest of our stockholders.”

Microsoft May Shatter the Silence Today, Wall St. Journal Predicts

The Wall Street Journal thinks that Microsoft is about to break the break the deafening silence that has hung in the air since Yahoo! ignored Microsoft’s Saturday deadline to deal or be acquired by force at a lower price. The Journal thinks that Microsoft could nominate a proxy slate of directors to replace Yahoo!’s board but hold off on going directly to Yahoo!’s shareholders and say nothing about the price, a move that could let its shares recover from their 12% decline since Microsoft went public with its Yahoo! lust.

Google, Yahoo, and the Elephant In the Room

CWmike writes "Linda Rosencrance reports that despite assurances from Google and Yahoo that their online advertising deal doesn't need regulatory approval, the two companies should not be too quick to dismiss Microsoft's influence on Capitol Hill. Andrew Frank, an analyst at Gartner, said both Yahoo and Google will benefit from the deal, but he also said Microsoft will do everything in its power to bring the arrangement to a screeching halt. 'Expect Microsoft to challenge it and come back aggressively with some search plans of its own,' he said. Rob Enderle, of the Enderle Group, said Microsoft is a formidable opponent and knows how to play politics. 'Without Microsoft, this probably would stand up to regulatory scrutiny,' Enderle said. 'But Microsoft has increased its presence on Capitol Hill significantly .

Microsoft Circles Back to Yahoo With New Offer

Ian Lamont writes "Microsoft has come back to Yahoo with a new offer that would involve it buying part of Yahoo. No details have been released, but sources told the Wall Street Journal that part of the arrangement would involve Microsoft selling display ads next to Yahoo search results. No word yet on how this will impact Carl Icahn's proxy war with Yahoo's board."

Microsoft plan on Yahoo involves buying search: Source

BOSTON: Microsoft Corp's alternative proposal for Yahoo Inc involves Microsoft buying Yahoo's search business and taking a minority passive stake in the company, once Yahoo has spun off its Asian assets, a person familiar with the discussions said on Monday.

Microsoft-Yahoo - Yahoo Dodges the Takeover Bullet As Microsoft Calls Off Bid

Here as a service to SYS-CON.com readers is the full text of the letter sent yesterday by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang.

Microsoft plan for Yahoo involves buying search: source

BOSTON (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp's alternative proposal for Yahoo Inc involves Microsoft buying Yahoo's search business and taking a minority passive stake in the company, once Yahoo has spun off its Asian assets, a person familiar with the discussions said on Monday.

Free Google, Microsoft and Yahoo! From Antitrust Fascism

Yahoo! has just released its first-quarter earnings numbers, and neither the market nor analysts are impressed. What will be the company's next move? Multiple suitors claim that they can leverage Yahoo!'s online products and talented employees better than Yahoo!'s widely criticized management is doing. The leading bidder is Microsoft, whose $40 billion offer it is prepared to take directly to Yahoo! shareholders via a proxy fight. Other proposals said to be in the running are an advertising collaboration with Google, a merger with AOL, and a possible deal involving News Corp (including MySpace).

Microsoft plan for Yahoo involves buying search -source

BOSTON, May 19 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) alternative proposal for Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) involves Microsoft buying Yahoo's search business and taking a minority passive stake in the company, once Yahoo has spun off its Asian assets, a person familiar with the discussions said on Monday.

Microsoft May Go Hostile, Yahoo May Announce Google Search Deal

After a pretty quiet several weeks, the Microsoft-Yahoo battle is suddenly getting a lot louder. After Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said early Thursday he might walk out on its offer to buy Yahoo, the Internet portal floated the likelihood of a Google search ad deal. Then late Thursday night, Microsoft came right back with a leak in the Wall Street Journal that it’s leaning toward a hostile deal as early as Friday.

Falling Microsoft Income Endangers Yahoo Bid

Dionysius, God of Wine and Leaf, points out a new wrinkle to Microsoft's pursuit of Yahoo. The most recent quarterly results, which saw Microsoft's earnings drop by 6% from the previous year (revenue from Windows alone was down 24%), have caused the stock to dip. This has reduced the value of the cash-and-stock offer from its original $44B to something nearer $40B. Yahoo, of course, has maintained all along that the original offer was lowball. A business professor is quoted: "Whatever leverage [Microsoft] built up in the last few days could be slipping away."

Movers: Yahoo, Microsoft, Circuit City, Family Dollar Stores, UnitedHealth, Apollo

The Wall Street Journal reports that Microsoft (MSFT) is positioning itself for a new run at Yahoo's (YHOO) search business and has approached media firms, including Time Warner (TWX) and News Corp. (NWS), about joining it in a deal that would effectively lead to Yahoo's breakup. The WSJ also reported that Yahoo pushed to sell itself to Microsoft for about $33 a share in mid-May, weeks after the tech giant dropped its bid. S&P reiterates buy on YHOO.

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