Yang or no Yang, Microsoft still doesn't want to buy Yahoo! (Anymore)

by Brad Linder Nov 19th 2008

If it seems like every few days we're checking to see if Microsoft plans to buy Yahoo!, it's because we are. Earlier this year, Microsoft offered to buy the search company for $33 a share, but Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang said that bid undervalued the company. After a little back and forth, Microsoft walked away.

Flash forward half a year, and Yahoo! stock is trading at around the $10 mark, Yang has announced plans to step down as CEO, and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says the company still isn't interested in buying Yahoo!. Ballmer says Microsoft is still interested in pursuing a deal with Yahoo! to leverage the company's search technology. But that's not too surprising, since Ballmer's been saying that for months.

Does this mean that we won't see two of the largest companies in the software and internet space join forces? No, not really. Ballmer could just be negotiating or waiting for Yahoo! stock to drop low enough that he can pick up the company with nothing but spare change found in his couch cushions. But it is interesting to know that the departure of Yahoo!'s CEO seems to have no bearing on Ballmer's position.

Tags: jerry-yang, microsoft, steve-ballmer, yahoo

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Todd said 3:01PM on 11-19-2008

All the really good Yahoo technology has been released Open Source and all the smart people have had the time to leave and find new jobs. Yang is a billionaire, no tears needed there. Plan worked perfectly.

Rebel forces escaped the Death Star FTW!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9BosxTWZE4

campbell said 5:13PM on 11-19-2008

As a user I·d still like to see Yahoo flourish. None of us will benefit from a Microsoft/Google stranglehold.

asurroca said 10:22PM on 11-19-2008

Yahoo! is worth squat at this point, and Microsoft was already being overly generous offering $33 a share (as evidenced by Yahoo!'s current share price). Microsoft should keep watching Yahoo!'s stock drop until Yahoo! has to beg to be bought out. Yahoo! tried to squeeze them for more money, and Microsoft called their bluff. Simple as that.

Quikboy said 8:06AM on 11-20-2008

Good for them. Yang became a bit too greedy, and now Yahoo! is spiraling downwards. I've had issues with Yahoo! before that weren't pleasant. I love Yahoo! Answers, but many of my friends accounts were shut down for absolutely NO reason! They got this "account suspended" e-mail, and when they tried to contact Yahoo! as to what the reason was, Yahoo! said they just simply can't give out that information. Is Yahoo! kidding? Some of my friends spent a lot of time on the site and to see that they can no longer log in, ask questions, answer questions, or anything, really sucks for them. They can't even make a new e-mail to create a new account, as Yahoo! has blocked their IP addresses.

No reason was given, so my friends couldn't even figure out what they did wrong. What a joke.

Also, Flickr has gotten a lot more locked down since Yahoo! took over it, and accounts still cost a ridiculous $24.99 (the new SkyDrive does 25GB free!), and free users are really in a sucky reduced functionality. Thanks a lot Yahoo!.

Yahoo! has had some neat stuff, but it's too bad the honchos in charge of Yahoo! are so greedy.

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