Gates predicts Yahoo deal unlikely
Update 10:32 a.m. PDT: Added more comments from Gates in his interview and a late morning trading price for Yahoo.
Microsoft's Bill Gates, in an NBC interview with Tom Brokaw, said a deal with Yahoo is unlikely, according to a CNBC report Friday.
Yahoo shares fell 2.81 percent to $20.77 in late morning trading, as the broader markets also slumped.
During his interview, Gates said "I don't think that one is likely," in reference to a Microsoft-Yahoo deal. He added, however, that he believes Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will find "plenty of other opportunities."
Gates' prediction comes as he prepares Friday to wrap up his last day of full-time work at Microsoft. Come Monday, he will serve as non-executive chairman and work part time at the software company he co-founded.
Shares of Microsoft were essentially flat, trading up 0.43 percent at $27.87 a share in morning trading.
Dawn Kawamoto covers enterprise security and financial news relating to technology for CNET News. E-mail Dawn.
