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Microsoft Responds to Yahoo! Announcement

biz.yahoo.com — It is unfortunate that Yahoo! has not embraced our full and fair proposal to combine our companies. Based on conversations with stakeholders of both companies, we are confident that moving forward promptly to consummate a transaction is in the best interests of all parties.

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  • ventralnet, on 02/12/2008, -10/+4We want 47 billion!
  • truspect0r, on 02/12/2008, -13/+96Whatever. Sell flickr to Google.
    • Grimdotdotdot, on 02/12/2008, -10/+9Why?
      • Nitesmoke, on 02/12/2008, -6/+12Its only a matter of time before Google has a Flikr clone and will be better.
        • bovox, on 02/12/2008, -20/+8Google already has a Flickr clone, and it sucks. It already has a MySpace clone, and it sucks. It has a lot of other clones and they all suck. The only thing Google has going for it is Search and Email. Nothing else.
          • ndurkes, on 02/12/2008, -0/+10Documents? Still in Beta but respectable....
          • allenmwnc1, on 02/12/2008, -0/+5And maps, earth, and news.. >But besides those things! > Don't forget the aqueduct. > Okay, besides search, maps, earth, news, and the aqueduct what has Google ever done for us?? - Ah Life of Brian, if you were the only movie I'd ever seen. I could have learned all of life's lessons from you. "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExWfh6sGyso"
          • br0ken1128, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1Google aquired a lot of that.. google earth was aquired, groups was aquired, it's flickr clone I don't think was aquired but it sucks, picassa was aquired.. pretty much everything google wrote on it's own, besides search, is not that great .. parts, if not all of the google office suite was aquired, I know the word processor was ..
        • scauer, on 02/12/2008, -7/+2They have had plenty of time, and aren't even close
          • Grimdotdotdot, on 02/12/2008, -2/+2No idea why you're being dugg down. Maybe all the Google employee's are visiting the page =]
    • FutureGuy, on 02/12/2008, -6/+19Why just flickr, lets sell the whole internet to Google. After all monopoly is a good thing, right? At least Google thinks so hence its trying so desperately to block this deal. In the meantime yahoo is busy firing its employees.
      http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120279710463761787 ... a decision it had made prior to MS offer.
  • dada0, on 02/12/2008, -24/+71I'm glad that Yahoo is not interested in this deal with Microsoft. Sure, they're offering Yahoo a lot of money, but given the fact that one of the parties is a convicted monopolist with no interest whatsoever in web standards, I'm inclined to think that it won't be beneficial to the end user.
    • Slade605, on 02/12/2008, -11/+27Who uses Yahoo anyways? Considering their messenger comes free with spyware. That is a disgusting thought.
      • plhearn, on 02/12/2008, -14/+14Yahoo's free web tools are the bomb. We use them for software development at our company.
        • toxicityj, on 02/12/2008, -11/+12you must be a really crappy company.
          • luchid, on 02/12/2008, -3/+6You must be an old fart if you consider using one of their excellent libraries to be unprofessional
          • freedomknight, on 02/12/2008, -0/+4do you know yui ?
      • jupi, on 02/12/2008, -7/+11spyware? source for that one?
      • cawpin, on 02/12/2008, -2/+10"Considering their messenger comes free with spyware."

        Stop spreading FUD. You don't have to like it but don't spew complete crap to justify yourself.
    • mindvise3, on 02/12/2008, -6/+7Actually, if you noticed, it says that Yahoo DOES want to be bought by Microsoft. They just want more money.
      • bovox, on 02/12/2008, -1/+9It does not say it wants to be bought by Microsoft. It just says that they think the company is worth more than $31 a share.
        • azurepalm, on 02/12/2008, -1/+1so yahoo does want to be bought by Microsoft, just comes down to more money...
    • toxicityj, on 02/12/2008, -9/+12have you seen yahoo? Neither of them care about web standards. MS doesn't care about supporting them, and yahoo doesn't care about practicing them. Yahoo is a company with a ton of crap services that got lucky with Flickr. If Yahoo is wise, they'll let MS buy them and make it a condition that MS can't touch Flickr.
      • cawpin, on 02/12/2008, -1/+13What exactly is non-standards compliant on Yahoo? I've never had any problems with any of their services. I use the new mail, which is awesome BTW, and it works just fine in IE, Firefox, Safari on Windows, OS X and Linux.
      • MellerTime, on 02/12/2008, -1/+8Read some of the Yahoo! Developer Network content. Yahoo! is very dedicated to web standards, efficiency, and best practices.
    • ikrit2006, on 02/12/2008, -0/+7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeover#Friendly_and ...
      Yahoo is publicly traded, unless the board members hold 35-50% of the shares, Microsoft could probably buy enough to hold the majority.
    • over900000, on 02/12/2008, -5/+10IE8 will be fully standard compliant.
      • jaredvolkl, on 02/12/2008, -3/+6Sure, in IE8 ACID2 Standards mode. Which is different from regular standards mode. And then there's quirks mode. Hmm, which doctype do I want now?
        • MellerTime, on 02/12/2008, -1/+4A standard doctype and the IE8 meta tag to turn on *real* standards mode.
          • luchid, on 02/12/2008, -1/+3There shouldn't be a need to add special meta tags to conform to Microsoft's crappy job at coding. Standards compliant mode should be the default. Plus IE8 won't be out for a long time, and users will still take a long time after that to upgrade. And IE7 sucks.
        • SamuelHenderson, on 02/12/2008, -1/+0Will it pass the Acid3 test? http://acid3.acidtests.org/
          • jisatsusha, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1The test that hasn't even been finished yet? Be serious.
  • Porkgod, on 02/12/2008, -7/+12This may get interesting.
  • lukeduke, on 02/12/2008, -6/+16So, hostile takeover or just buy someone to put Yahoo out and attack Google?
    • bigfatdummy, on 02/12/2008, -2/+4That's exactly what I was thinking when I read the story.
  • bxblox, on 02/12/2008, -3/+58Sounds like more of a threat than an offer
    • Slade605, on 02/12/2008, -9/+5It is from the Yahoo Business site, they want your sympathy.
      • luchid, on 02/12/2008, -1/+3I've read the official MS press release and it's the same wording. MS's offer seams hostile and threat-like.
    • fluxion, on 02/12/2008, -10/+8sounds more like an "if you only new the power of the dark side..."
    • dogstar0125, on 02/12/2008, -1/+8I was expecting something more like this:

      "***** Jerry Yang is a ***** pussy. I'm going to ***** bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to ***** kill Yahoo."
  • kmc127, on 02/12/2008, -6/+26Nooooooooo please don't make me use my .net login in another place!
    • KamikazeeDriver, on 02/12/2008, -5/+11you have a .net login? HAHAHHAAHHAHA
  • masonmark, on 02/12/2008, -5/+155It is also unfortunate that the blonde junior in my physics class has not embraced my full and fair proposal to combine our physical resources. I'm confident that consummating that transaction would totally rock.
    • wild, on 02/12/2008, -10/+26Whether you are in high school or college has a direct correlation to which thumb I click.
    • mindvise3, on 02/12/2008, -3/+30Dugg for the correct spelling of "consummating." And for having no chance.
    • VenDrake, on 02/12/2008, -6/+30The guy is trying to bang a blond girl who is taking a physics class. Give the man a digg!
    • davidsmero, on 02/12/2008, -3/+11Since I am digging you up, if you do score its like i am scoring too.
  • JasonCox, on 02/12/2008, -4/+47Steve probably threw more than a few chairs when he heard about this...
  • nuggetboy, on 02/12/2008, -3/+21"...realize the value inherent in our proposal". Kinda rings like "Come See the Violence Inherent in the System!"
    • VenDrake, on 02/12/2008, -2/+7I was thinking more along the lines of "you don't realize the POWER of the dark side of the force."
    • jimblackler, on 02/12/2008, -1/+3Help! Help! I'm being repressed!
  • VintageMud, on 02/12/2008, -5/+62Microsoft: "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse"

    Yahoo!: *finds mangled server in boardroom*
    Yahoo!: "Noooooooo!"
  • br0ken1128, on 02/12/2008, -4/+7If ever the borg comparison fit, now would be the time .. "Resistance is futile" .. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2357/2259881589_ce2 ...
    • YamiJim, on 02/12/2008, -1/+5or "Resistance is useless!" --Vogonite Proverb
  • elmixtli, on 02/12/2008, -2/+23"Buy him out boys!"

    /Simpsons
    • MacSuxWindozSux, on 02/12/2008, -0/+17"You don't think I got rich by writing a bunch of cheques do you?"
  • catachip, on 02/12/2008, -2/+17They are going to bypass the board and go directly to the shareholders in a hostile takeover. This will get interesting.
    • Aitese, on 02/12/2008, -2/+6Can you blame them? If you were a shareholder what possible explaination would make you NOT pissed that someone turned down your share of $45 billion on your behalf?
      • TheTSArt, on 02/12/2008, -1/+4Which is partially why there are very few great companies any more.
        • VinceNoir, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1True... when the shareholder's interests are held as more important than the end-user... you can tell a company has failed as a productive part of a society. Customers far outnumber shareholders and therefore their interests should be paramount.
    • Vorsuc, on 02/12/2008, -0/+4Not with such a poor share offer, $31 a share is way below the $34 12 month high and Yahoo!'s share price still hovers below the offer price, meaning either shareholders aren't interested in Microsoft's offer, or are waiting for a better deal.
      • digudown, on 02/12/2008, -2/+1Dumb ass! shareholders do not think yahoo is even worth $31, thats why the stock price is below that.
        • Vorsuc, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1There's a difference between market value for a stock and what a shareholder values it at.

          Say you are a comic trader, and you trade comics for profit. You bought a comic that currently sells for $29. You know however, just a few weeks ago it sold for $34, but still the comic guys in town will only give you $29 for it.

          Then some rich comic collector comes and offers anyone who has that comic, $31 for every copy they can get.

          If you sell, then the market will value the comic at $31.

          But say you dont, say you think that soon enough the comic will be worth $34 again, or maybe more. You don't sell for $31, so the market value of your comic remains $29 while you wait for a better offer (or a rich comic collector who doesn't make your skin crawl).

          That's the difference between what a SHAREHOLDER values a stock at and what the MARKET values it at. If shareholders thought $31 a stock was the best they were ever going to get, they'd have sold already.
  • seltaeb4, on 02/12/2008, -2/+8A Microsoft/Yahoo merger... would make the AOL/Time/Warner merger look like a good idea by comparison!
  • davidkeithjones, on 02/12/2008, -4/+1Get the spears out, this chick is getting hostile.
  • jonester, on 02/12/2008, -10/+9I can't even see how Yahoo is worth nearly 45 billion. There mail sucks, there search sucks, and their competitor, Google makes nearly triple their yearly revenue.
    • oOLiquidNightOo, on 02/12/2008, -2/+18interesting uses of there and their ...
    • aloser, on 02/12/2008, -2/+24How did you screw up "their" the first two times but get it right *in the same sentence*?
      • NeoNevermore, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1Funny, you would expect to see "they're" in that same sentence as well.
    • pauleric, on 02/12/2008, -0/+13I don't know if it's worth 45 billion or not, but I don't see how 7 billion in revenue and 3.75 billion in profits sucks. And no, google does not make anywhere near 21 billion in revenue. It's umm....16.59, more than I thought, but still not 3x. Yahoo does seem to be on the decline, but I'll take that suckage over whatever business you own any day.

      And where did I find this helpful info? Yahoo finance.
    • TheWindBlows, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1Its a sad thing they declined...
      Any SMART group of company owners would say "YES" and be set for the rest of their lives,
      and if they really worried to they just start up a new business or wait and see if google goes down and call monopoly...
  • tudormuscalu, on 02/12/2008, -17/+1isn't this old news ? "Monday February 11, 4:31 pm ET"
  • tzugidan, on 02/12/2008, -1/+7This is simply negotiations. You don't launch at the first offer, regardless how high it is. They'll settle. It might get ugly, but they'll settle.
  • tudormuscalu, on 02/12/2008, -19/+1isn't this old news ? "Monday February 11, 4:31 pm ET"
  • m0rn1n6s74r, on 02/12/2008, -1/+7"We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile. We are the Microsoft."
  • Qays, on 02/12/2008, -4/+17The only thing worthwhile Yahoo has is Flickr.
    • norbiu, on 02/12/2008, -4/+4I also like Yahoo Answers. Everything else pretty much sucks.
    • joehobbes, on 02/12/2008, -3/+6And delicious
    • kckman, on 02/12/2008, -3/+1Yahoo chatrooms are a very valuable service which I use and enjoy daily. Microsoft will, sadly, kill this without absolutely no remorse nor fanfare.
    • sinatosk, on 02/12/2008, -1/+3and developers network
    • LightSpeed4, on 02/13/2008, -1/+0and publisher network
  • mentol, on 02/12/2008, -1/+2So the battle goes on ....
  • endustry, on 02/12/2008, -2/+7Considering how milquetoast and corporate Yahoo! has become, I wouldn't be surprised if they are worried about MS being too Bohemian. "Next thing you know, we'll have colorful foosball tables in the break rooms again and guys wearing black t-shirts with some kind of computer jargon written across the fronts!"
  • mstump, on 02/12/2008, -3/+6That sounds like the press release for a high school kid who didn't get laid at the prom.
  • drforex, on 02/12/2008, -10/+5Where is Anonymous when you need them?
    "We have heard of a horrible proposed merger between Goliath and David. We do not like what we see. We are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. We are Apple Fanboys."
  • GhengisKhan, on 02/12/2008, -1/+4Yahoo is holding out for more money. This will happen sooner rather than later and it's standard practice for the takeover company to offer a bit low in the early negotiations.
  • TheZorch, on 02/12/2008, -2/+3Looks like its Hostile Takeover Time. This is going to be messy.
  • dsp82, on 02/12/2008, -3/+22For anyone cheering about Yahoo rejecting the offer, you don't get it.
    Now that the board rejected the offer, Microsoft is just going to go after the shareholders. And since they offered 60% over market value pr share, it's up to the individual shareholders to decide whether they want to sell or not. If over 50% decide to do so, the board can't do *****, Microsoft will still own them.
    My guess is, it will happen. No shareholder can except the Yahoo stock to increase 60% anytime soon with Google nearby, so if such a high buyout offer is out there, the shareholder will accept it.
    So anyone jumping around, thinking "Yeah, ***** off Microsoft!" is sadly mistaken. Microsoft will own Yahoo in the end, it just won't happen over night.
    • akkibaba, on 02/12/2008, -3/+16You're wrong.
      Yahoo has a "poison pill" clause in its shareholder agreement. If anyone buys more than 15% of the stock, they reserve the right to flood the market with a ***** of new shares at half price. Microsoft therefore can't go after the shareholders directly. They have to fight for control of the Yahoo board instead.
      • marcusbrutus, on 02/12/2008, -2/+11I suspected Yahoo would have some sort of defensive measure in place to protect against hostile takeover. I am surprised, however, they would resort to letting their share price tank. This clearly is a case of the management not acting in the best interest of the shareholders, but rather trying desperately to hold onto their jobs. Assholes.
        • freedomknight, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1First care about users, then automatically shareholders will be happy.
      • dsp82, on 02/12/2008, -0/+12Okay, I didn't know about the "poison pill". I agree with marcusbrutus' argument though.
        And I don't think Yahoo will ever use this clause, simply because it's stupid. No way in hell are you going to sell your stock for half the price, when you're offered 60% over the price. In corporate America, It's all about the money!!!
        • marcusbrutus, on 02/12/2008, -0/+6Dsp82,
          This is actually quite common when it comes to hostile takeovers. Poison Pills are usually implemented by management when they think a possible merger/acquisition will result in them losing their positions. After this refusal, I doubt MS would arrange for any type of golden parachute for Yahoo's top management. You are quite right it is all about the money. The management wants to keep getting theirs and it might prevent the shareholders from getting the potential return MS is offering. I doubt they could find a 'white knight' either.
      • LightSpeed4, on 02/13/2008, -0/+0poison pill isnt enough, elections for board members of yahoo are next month and ms could be considered by shareholders.
  • utterer, on 02/12/2008, -1/+3I am sure if any merger were to take place it would happen a lot faster than Sirius/XM

    Slightly off topic I guess.
  • Ryosen, on 02/12/2008, -3/+2You will be assimilated,
  • baalzebub, on 02/12/2008, -16/+11Microsoft has not worked well with anyone. Even though they are a company based in the United States and Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer are U.S. citizens, they have a philosophy and mantra that goes against the principles of democracy, against the very foundations of their country that establish freedom and opportunities for ALL people. They simply want to take advantage of numbers, not grow a society in the freedoms many forefathers have fought for, but one that would continue to give them lots and lots of money. They are selfish, greedy, and self-serving. All they care about is getting people to use their software in order to continue their money stream. They don't care who they exclude, they don't have to care about the quality of their services, because they have a monopoly bought from the US-government through the avenues that allow special interests to take power away from the people and give it to the people who have a lot of money, no matter if that money was earned honestly, or not.

    If the way Microsoft did business is very good, right, and moral, then why not teach this to our kids in our schools? Lacking in creativity? getting bad grades? Pay off your teacher. Buy your way through school through manipulation, power, and influence. Isn't that what Microsoft has done in the real world, except they have bought their way through the government enough to dispell public scrutiny? If we let Microsoft do this, are we not doing our kids a disservice because we are not teaching them the way the world is? Maybe the correct way is not democracy, but to make as much money as possible, any way you can, buying your way through life, and trampling over people who have less power than you?

    If we would let Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer take over the world, I would have to say, your free speech would be removed, you would have to pay to post your words anywhere on the internet, and your words would of course be censored, and only speech that would be permitted would have to glorify Microsoft's cause as long as Bill and Steve could use it propaganda for their empire. They are no different than a totalitarian dictatorship trying to take over the world.

    Your choice. Freedom or Bondage. I want freedom. In everything I do, I do those things that promote those ideals. In regards to computing, I use only Open Source software such as Linux, Open Office, and the rest of the gems produced as GNU/GPLed Free Open Source software which is the stuff Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer do not want anyone to use because it does not suit their purposes, like MS-Windows, Microsoft Office, or Internet Explorer (stuff that would lock anybody in to giving Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer a perpetual revenue stream without them having to earn it from me.)
    • boobyman, on 02/12/2008, -6/+5Every thing I own is free, but it's illegal. I don't want to pay $400 for a crappy software that has over 250.000 viruses - THAT ARE KNOWN TO MICROSOFT. However, I find Linux GUI very complicated. I'd rather stick to something that's "point and click" than go into the command line.
      • markoa, on 02/12/2008, -2/+7You do not need command line in a modern Linux distro today.
      • sharigan, on 02/12/2008, -1/+5are you saying that you still pirate microsoft's products although it's a crappy software? if so... your a hypocrite in so much level.
    • silverstrike, on 02/12/2008, -3/+3". They are selfish, greedy, and self-serving. All they care about is getting people to use their software in order to continue their money stream."

      The first quote was all you needed to say. That is the VERY core of capitalism. The system you seem to advocate, "... establish freedom and opportunities for ALL people...", is the definition of socialsim. I wont make a value argument, but I felt it necessary to correct your assumption.

      You're taking issue with the economic system we have in the US. They are simply the obvious result of the system, nothing more, nothing less.


    • bovox, on 02/12/2008, -3/+1He's actually advocating a system like Communism, which is ironic considering he proclaims to exalt Freedom.
  • cohortq, on 02/12/2008, -2/+6No one is asking the hard question, and that is what will happen to Zimbra if it ever went through? Zimbra stands for everything Microsoft is against!
  • baalzebub, on 02/12/2008, -5/+2what its all said & done the FTC and the DOJ has the final say whether microsoft can acquire yahoo either way...
    since the federal government are mostly spineless to corporate money & power it is a hard shot to call...
  • image0434, on 02/12/2008, -12/+13god, I hate microsoft
  • boobyman, on 02/12/2008, -4/+8It's enough that I get internet explorer with my illegal copy of Vista. if Microsoft buys Yahoo! I'll get a yahoo toolbar! FU
  • inajeep, on 02/12/2008, -1/+11Translation: "It's on."
  • vidalsasoon, on 02/12/2008, -1/+1Microsoft should triple+ what advertisers get paid for on each click. That would suck a lot of market share out of Google and Yahoo. It would cost a lot but nowhere near 42 billion...
    • digudown, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1"advertisers get paid for on each click" !!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • echelon309, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1And also triple the cost-per-click for the people running the ads. Sounds like a great way to lost a lot of business.
  • hanyoon, on 02/12/2008, -3/+3They were talking about this on TWiT.
  • NateTheApe21, on 02/12/2008, -3/+4All your Yahoo! are belong to us
  • crapmatic, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1"Stakeholders" in both companies? Are they looking for vampires or investment capital?
  • ranthony, on 02/12/2008, -6/+2http://ranthonysteele.blogspot.com/2008/02/microso ...

    I don't know about you but this statement should be read with a Darth Vader respirator wheeze in the background.

    If Microsoft successfully takes over Yahoo!, I will be ending my use of all Yahoo! services.

    -RAnthony
  • sparced, on 02/12/2008, -4/+5I was prepared to cancel my yahoo mail accounts if this deal went through. They're used mainly for signups and disposable mail anyway. Gmail for the win, free IMAP.
  • icodebot, on 02/12/2008, -1/+3Microsoft and Yahoo deserve each other. Yahoo hasn't done anything innovative in years that I can recall. I only use messenger and the Yahoo finance section, and I think both have grown bloated and cluttered over the years with a bunch of "meh" features. Not unlike many of Microsoft's products.
    • AgentAnderson, on 02/13/2008, -0/+1YUI: opensource javascript components for web apps.
  • TTURabble, on 02/12/2008, -3/+3Does anyone else see the irony in having this announcement on a yahoo webpage?
  • aiten, on 02/12/2008, -8/+5Boohoo Microsoft! poor little baby! Yahoo said no? Oh boo boo ho!

    Now go back and carry on doing whatever it is that you do.
    • pcpimpster, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1To bad the thing they do best is buy large companies and slap a microsoft sign in the front yard then call it a day.
  • timm47d, on 02/12/2008, -2/+5Resistance is futile…….
  • bl4h, on 02/12/2008, -3/+4google is the real problem
    • freedomknight, on 02/12/2008, -1/+1Why because they offer useful services that their users love ?
      • bl4h, on 02/13/2008, -0/+1um no because they are becoming a beast larger than microsoft, and a much more widespread one. they mine data, and theyre intigrating into every aspect of everything thats popular. phones, cars (google maps etc), television, everything.
  • Zippo, on 02/12/2008, -6/+3Sounds like MS is suffering from some butthurt.
    • ConceptJunkie, on 02/13/2008, -0/+1I'm sure Monkeyboy is throwing chairs and it fills my heart with joy.
  • dfective, on 02/12/2008, -3/+1"The PS2's one year jump on the opposition did a lot to secure that six year lead. "

    M$ was one year early and the result is faulty hardware. Sure I like the games, but I hate the ***** system. Its a piece.
    • SSCrow, on 02/12/2008, -1/+1wtf does the Xbox Division have to do with this article?
    • santasing, on 02/12/2008, -1/+1Haha! A good old console flame war. Wrong thread man.
    • dfective, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1*****, wrong story :)-hah
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