Microsoft and Yahoo!: Not Over Yet?
May 18th, 2008 (12:46pm) Mike Gunderloy No Comments
Microsoft seems to enjoy lobbing its little Yahoo! bombs on the weekends. It was a Friday when they announced the plan to gobble up Yahoo!, and a Saturday when they dropped the idea. Today comes a cryptic statement that suggests the deal isn’t over yet:
“Microsoft announced that it is continuing to explore and pursue its alternatives to improve and expand its online services and advertising business. Microsoft is considering and has raised with Yahoo! an alternative that would involve a transaction with Yahoo! but not an acquisition of all of Yahoo!…”
One guess: Microsoft may be angling to get the outsourced search advertising that Yahoo! experimented with handing over to Google. Microsoft’s statement also says they’ll be up to talking more with Yahoo! management or shareholders – presumably including Carl Icahn.
