Comments on: A Quagmire Of Ineptitude? – Yahoo | Microsoft | Google | AOL

By: Micro-hoo: A Bad Idea - Branding and Positioning Issues | Business Mind Hacks

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:33:51 +0000

[...] prospect of either a walk-away or proxy battle by MSFT including "poison pills" can be mesmerizing and mind-boggling to people interested in these kinds of industry developments, or their stock market angles (also [...]

By: Alex S

Alex S — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 21:16:28 +0000

Hey Andy,

here is some fairly useful analysis on where to go from here from someone who is a shareholder in both co’s. Worth a read. Best – Alex

http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/3/exclusive_interview_with_big_yahoo_shareholder_who_supports__different__microsoft_deal

By: Matt Ridout

Matt Ridout — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:50:33 +0000

I read in the Metro UK today that the next move from microsoft would be to go directly to the shareholders and offer the original bid if the next one is turned down.

Food for though

By: Curt Monash

Curt Monash — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:04:56 +0000

Andy, you’re spot on re the cash part. As I pointed out in http://www.texttechnologies.com/2008/02/10/microsoft-yahoo-cash-deal/, going all-cash for Microsoft is easy. The deal synergies are also broad. http://www.texttechnologies.com/2008/02/03/microsoft-yahoo-synergies/ was my most extensive write-up of those.

A big key here is enterprise/public-web integration. Microsoft has been very slow to cash in on that possibility, but there’s still some time left for it to get in gear. (E.g., my posts on future-Twitter, but I’ll refrain from dropping yet another link …)

CAM

By: Microhoo: A $44 Billion Front Page Re-design

Microhoo: A $44 Billion Front Page Re-design — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 04:02:26 +0000

[...] news of recent and sums up the news with the succinct, but in my opinion accurate analysis: “A Quagmire of Ineptitude.” Microsoft responded this evening to Yahoo’s refusal of the offer to purchase the [...]

By: John

John — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 02:42:52 +0000

It is funny, a Yahoo AOL deal would essentially create a monopoly situation in Email and Instant Messaging worse than a Yahoo Microsoft deal, so I am sure we can expect another post on the Google blog objecting to such a merger.

Actually I think a MS Yahoo deal would be worse overall in IM and Email. If you look at international numbers I don’t think too many people really use AOL outside of the states. For instance, every single Chinese person I know has an MSN email/IM address and uses them. In fact most of them use the msn space feature (which should have been myspace or facebook if they’d only used it right!!).

By: John Hunter

John Hunter — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:38:09 +0000

I think Google is being smart in playing this game (trying to make intelligent arguments that support their interests) for what they can. I don’t really buy the risk though. I wish Yahoo (and AOL for that matter) had done a better job so there were more strong very large internet players. As it is I figure Microsoft is making a very wise move. And while people like to criticism Microsoft (including me) they do pretty well. They couldn’t make several billion dollars a quarter if no-one found any value in what they do. And they should be worried. I use Ubuntu, Open Office and MySQL (which are free excellent alternatives to Microsoft’s biggest money makers). And I think many more will follow to those or similar products in the future.

By: Andy Beard

Andy Beard — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:09:49 +0000

John that is Google’s public stance

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/yahoo-and-future-of-internet.html

The big problem was email and messaging, and Yahoo <> AOL based upon that public stance should have Google even more concerned.

By: Damien Riley

Damien Riley — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:09:07 +0000

Well let’s hope they buy them then because somebody has put the heat on Google. They are starting to rewrite the laws of nature.

By: Andy Beard

Andy Beard — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:03:16 +0000

David I don’t know how this compares to Hotmail, as all the major players are fairly diversified now, though with different shares in each sector.

I can appreciate that some kind of change in the balance of power would be beneficial, but it is hard to quantify.

More than anything I just have things buzzing around in my head that after 10 days still haven’t been answered by the experts providing the coverage and speculation.