Good for the Internet, Great for Small Business and Enterprise. This deal will create more competition in the online marketplace by broadening Small Business Support.
The MSFT purchase of YHOO is critical to the US Cyber-Economy and United States Global Competiveness in Online Services.
It is great for genusi.com so I am biased for the deal but what is great for genusi.com is great for US Small Business.
So long as Microsoft/Yahoo allows smaller competing search engines free resources and a piece of the global search pie and does not prohibit them from profit.
I'm spending my Friday getting ready to cancel My Yahoo email addresses, My Verizon-Yahoo! DSL service. My Yahoo Geocities accounts and my old legacy Prodigy(AT&T)-Yahoo! email addresses today....
I had the chance to BUY Microsoft or AOL products and they didn't appeal to me so take the hint Microsoft and AOL. I went to Yahoo to escape those two companies and now they feel they can just swoop up my patronage??? I don't think so....
Everything Microsoft touches is a flop.
MSNBC, Hotmail, Microsoft Network (Since rebranded MSN), ZUNE (with it's restrictive policies over what people can do with their own music) etc.....
Anyway if Yahoo goes forward with this, by canceling my services with Yahoo I'll save myself almost $100 a month... I'm not keeping any so called "Microsoft-Yahoo" stuff....
Also has anyone else noticed the HUGE spike in Spam on Yahoo Instant Messenger since Yahoo started to make it interoperable with Microsoft's messenger??? SPAMMERS love when two networks get together like that, because they can spam double the people in one network using a single app.
Microsoft-Yahoo? Heck it wont get my blessing or my $$$$.
Microsoft isn't nearly as evil as most people think and others aren't nearly as good as people would like to believe. I think the consolidation of Yahoo's strengths in Internet development and Microsoft's in software and services could yield better products from both. At least that's the optimist in me.
Everything MS touches is a flop huh? How about building an entire market built around open hardware... How about windows - It may do a poor job at some things - but not everything - and the mac still is no threat.
Zune is a great product - what restrictions do you speak of? I've had two ipods and 2 Zune's- The Zune is handsdown better IMO...
Yeah, who's even heard of Windows, Office, XBOX, etc.???
You have to be joking! Sure, some of Microsoft's products are better than others; no company will be able to create the #1 product in all categories. However, nobody can deny the success of Microsoft (overall).
Stop crying and don't be idiotic. MS has a long history of plundering other's ideas and folding it in to their domain. They're pretty smart in keeping what's good so what makes you think they're going to mess with Yahoo so much? Also, your $$$$ don't count for much to MS since it's more like 0.00000000000cents and they don't worry that there are that many idiots like you.
that this was going to happen. First the IM merger stuff to help fight off Google/AIM.
MS has been trying so hard to break the Google grip on the search market buying Yahoo only helps that.
To be honest Yahoo employees should be happy. Yahoo was going down, MS should have waited for the fire sale, but was probably worried Google would buy them. Yahoo offered nothing really anymore that Google or MS already have.
ATT could have bought them, to get the email and such since they use them for all of their customers. Oh well it will just be hotmail now.
Time to switch my only remaining Yahoo app to Google...gtalk here i come.
This would be a good thing for both MS and Yahoo but definitely not Google.
I am going to be interested to see the stock value of Google as this plays on.
I'll bet that Google stock will go to "hold" status until the merger (if it occurs) is complete. This could take some time but both companies needed each other in a bad way. This would be such a perfect match, and a way to keep Yahoo alive.
If MS & Yahoo do what I think they are capable of then you'd better start selling your Google stock now.
One thing that could throw a wrench into the works is if MS decides to rid itself of the Yahoo name, then all bets are off.
The reason why is simple... this merger would first have to be approved by gov't regulators in the US, EU, and various Asian governments.
Micrsofot (more specifically Steve Ballmer) is getting desperate. MSN sucks. Vista sucks. Office 2k7 is mediocre at best. All the buzz, growth, and future excitement comes from places like Apple, Canonical, Google... not Microsoft.
Google is into buying radio spectrum, and its GMail service now eclipses Hotmail for average (not spam) usage. In less than a year, Apple now sells more smartphones in North America than those built with Windows CE/Mobile - and Windows CE/Mobile has been in that market for years now. In less than six years, RedHat has gone from being a hobbyist's company, to being the second largest server OS provider - if not the largest. Nintendo's Wii stomped all over XBox last year in the ultimate 'comeback kid' story.
What has Microsoft done in the past five years? Err, released a widely-hated OS version and temporarily got the #1 slot with that loss-leader of a game console called XBox.
Basically, Microsoft went from 'will be' to 'has been', and Ballmer knows it. He needs something - anything - to get the buzz going again in his favor. IMHO, I don't think this will be it, and he'll have to settle for being #2 - again.
Looks like the shareholders are scared (or switching to buy Yahoo shares that were much lower than MS's offering price of $31...hoping to make assured profit on those). Anyways, Google's stock is trading 50points below (almost -9%) as I write this.
Microsoft and Yahoo have been playing the catch-up game for the past few years. Google is always a step ahead of them: think Gmail, Google Earth/Maps, their "Docs" application, the Open Mobile platform thingy...which looks even more promising after yesterday's news regarding open access to the "C" block of the 700MHz. And Micrahoo (lol. I'm gonna coin that) is still trying to catch up with the Docs application.
So anyways, I think Google's future is very bright, and this is a momentary sale while investors make quick money in the Yahoo shares.
With Microsoft now being watched for anti-competitive behaviors until 2009 this could spark some interesting controversy. With two of the top presences on the internet this deal may not go through- especially since MSFT recently aquired Aquantive, a few other ad agencies, and launched massive deals for ads. Couple that with Yahoo! (sure, they aren't that powerful in ads but they do have a strong presence in recurring revenue markets and a large user base to turn around their situation if handled correctly) and I see some concern raised by not only Google but a handful of other companies.
Me thinks that Microsoft was getting tired of playing the "gentle giant" card after showing it can at least TRY to remain competitive- but with Google (up until now) reporting astronomical growth, they are backed into a corner and are on the prowl for blood. Will this be the start of a new downward spiral for Microsoft (in terms of anti-trust suits all over again)?
It was a hostile bid I believe. Yahoo should have been the one to make the announcement. Microsoft announcing it puts pressure on YAHOO to accept because yahoo's stock will respond favorably, and it will give the industry the impression that yahoo is weakened and must merge or risk going out of business. If yahoo rejects the bid, or the merger is denied for anti-competitive reasons, Microsoft still wins. Yahoo's value will plummet, and they'll only have Google to compete with.
This was not a merger announcement. It was an offer announcement. Made by the company making the offer. It is as much a psychological play as it is a financial one.
You said it yourself. They will now be second instead of forth. Why would the quality of the search matter? Has Microsoft ever lead you to believe that their purpose in any area is anything other than market share? They are not expecting the technology of both companies to innovate them to the number one spot. They'll acquire whoever and whatever it takes to get there.
Google dominates the search market with 51.3%. Yahoo was like 18% and MS some 13%...together they'll still lag behind Google.
Monopoly is when you have no alternative, and the company abuses that position. Well there ARE alternatives: I use Firefox, search on Google, use Gmail...then MSN (sorry Live Messenger). There's plenty of choices out there.
Microsoft is doing a desperate move, and I don't think Yahoo is worth the $44B.
Yes, this is a move to become more competitve with Google. However, with the exception of the search engine Yahoo has it all over Google when it comes to the other services available.
MICROSOFT AND BILL GATES CANT EVEN MAKE A STABLE OPERATING SYSTEM (VISTA) NOW THEY WANT TO RUIN YAHOO! YAHOO DONT DO IT ITS BEEN A GOOD SERVICE FOR YEARS WITHOUT MICROSOFT...........
LOL, any news that has Microsoft or Apple in it, but has no relation to Vista, people will keep mentioning about Vista. Which OS that is stable in the first year?
There are enormous synergies in this merger, and many benefits for advertisers.
Yahoo! has a strong consumer franchise, and technically very strong search and advertising match capabilities.
Yahoo! is let down by unfriendly and inefficient processes and services for its advertisers, however, which is why it generates advertising revenues, but is not great at generating good profits.
<a href="http://www.digitalmarketing.us/blog/index.php/?p=43">Digital Marketing blog - YaSoft! or MicroHoo! ?</a>
IMHO, I would really like to see Apple, Inc. offer all people/Platforms/PC's the opportunity to subscribe to their .mac service. It would be a great time for this, and after any M$ acquisition of AT&T/Yahoo would even be better. If it happens (G-d forbid!), I hope it happens before my contract ends. Even if it doesn't, I'm looking for a new DSL service when my contract ends. This is most disappointing news. I, for one, thought that Yahoo was in better shape, especially with their merger with AT&T.
Now that Apple's been working on the Intel platform for a while, the one blow that would hurt Microsoft more than anything, would be for Apple to release Mac OS for the PC (I know there's a lot of drivers involved...but technically you could use the drivers made for FreeBSD, at least a good chunk of them).
Probably 70-80% of people running Vista (that includes me) would rush out and get a really good OS. It wouldn't affect businesses right away, but it would after a while. That would be a definite blow to MS... but I'm wondering if Apple will ever be interested in owning such a large market share (I think they're like the Marines: "the few, the proud, the Apple-users"), and if the deal they have with Microsoft for Office on the Mac doesn't involve a promise from Apple NOT to bring OS X to the PCs.
I think we're in for a pretty interesting couple of years.
I kinda take issue with the poll question using the word "Monopoly" in regards to google. Not that I'm taking sides here, but "Monopoly" is strictly defined and Google does not force anybody to use their products. If a better search engine came along I'd use it.
People want to have one good search engine as long as they play fair and don't corrupt their rankings. I remember when there were a dozen anemic search engines and flitting back and forth between them was just a big pain in the ass. Computers are supposed to simplify things, not make them harder to do.
Besides, everything Msoft does sucks. If Apple bought Yahoo it might make sense since they actually have some creativity and vision. Msoft will no doubt try to "bundle" their search with essential OS components that won't work witout it so they can shove and inferior search down your throat. Don't think they won't try it because it Did work before. With all the lawsuits and troubles, What browser is still dominant? They have plenty of lawyers to fence while they corner the search market with an OS stranglehold.
MS overpaid by a large amount for Aquantive, it hasn't done much so far for the clueless and hapless MS. If Google hadn't gone after Double Click, MS wouldn't have made this deal. It is a classic case of the pathetic "keeping up with the Joneses".
Now to keep up(yet again) with a company who really isn't in the same business as MS, they want to massively overpay for a company in decline?
This makes sense only at MS. Google is not a threat to MS, in fact they are not in the same business.
Microsoft has this pathological need to squash any successful company that is anywhere near where MS lives.
Instead of trying to pay to keep your outdated and dying model going a little bit longer, they might as well start producing innovative work that people want as opposed to the crap they have now that requires unethical and pathetic lock in schemes to keep the money flowing.
Google has many problems, but at least they are still agile, can produce products and services people actually want.
Until MS figures out they will have to work to stay on top, they will be in decline, overpaying for lame companies is not the answer.
Your comments were well laid out and I have to commend you for them. When you choose to post in a respectable manner, your statements can make a whole lot more sense than they would otherwise.
As for this Yahoo deal- I'd wait and see what happens. Apparently investors like the deal a lot to see Yahoo's stock go up so fast. Some of that is opportunistic, but since any purchase would be a year away, that's a long time to wait to trade for profits on those stocks.
By the way, Apple is considered a successful company and MS isn't going after them or to try and squash them. MS is going after markets that they are interested in. Things change.
"they might as well start producing innovative work that people want as opposed to the crap they have now that requires unethical and pathetic lock in schemes to keep the money flowing."
Heh, that describes the iPhone exactly to a T. MS isn't the only one that does this apparently. I'd be curious to see what sorts of Apple / Google link there will be next. Apple will need to do something or be left out in the cold.
Microsoft has a COMMERCIAL need to squash anyone who gets near them. That's what people get paid to do at all companies.
For some reason some people insist on thinking that once a company gets to a certain size that they are supposed to sort of let competition bloom. Wrong! All company officers are legally obligated to grow their companies or get fired.
This is common for any buyout. You want to buy into the stock that is being bought out to make your profit. Buying stock in the company doing the buying isn't profitable at the start.
It'll probably bounce back up at the end of the trading day but because it's a Friday and people will start to get more ideas of what could happen I'll be interested in Monday's Google value and trades. The trades on Google right now are pretty fast.
Yahoo's recent aquisition of Zimbra could be a roadblock for this deal. As Zimbra competes as an open-source alternative to Exchange server (and has a great product by the way) many will frown on Microsoft's suddent control of this group.
The Zimbra acqusition is a rounding error for the MSN/YHOO acquisition. If this goes through, Zimbra will be throw in the trash can. It certainly won't stop it.
I keep my yahoo account out of convenience. If Msft makes it less convenient or I'm not liking what I'm seeing I'll just stop using the email. Simple as that.
Also, I'm curious if anyone would know how this will play with the Eurpean regulators since Msft is already being whacked over the head for being a naughty monopoly?
I admire the mythology behind the founding of one of our greatest tech companies by a couple of grad students and then the best job of investing a stock sale fortune in history.
But as with everything, we really don't know how good Google could have been or can be. Because Google doesn't know. Well, competition from another very talented crew is going to light up our sky with creative fireworks that come from two phenomenal forces vying for our technical attention. And Google will find out how great they really can be!
I've been a big fan, and user of Yahoo for as long as I can rember. I like there products and technologies. Personally, I think this merger would be great! It will give Yahoo (or it's people) more stability. And it will give MS a beter search engine and hostiing technology.
As long as they handle everything right. The down side (or dark side), would be if they ae just planning on buying out a compeditor, and just scrap/fire everyone.
Manage updates with the Download App
That is all.
The MSFT purchase of YHOO is critical to the US Cyber-Economy and United States Global Competiveness in Online Services.
It is great for genusi.com so I am biased for the deal but what is great for genusi.com is great for US Small Business.
So long as Microsoft/Yahoo allows smaller competing search engines free resources and a piece of the global search pie and does not prohibit them from profit.
Sincerely,
James Reginald Harris, jr.
I had the chance to BUY Microsoft or AOL products and they didn't appeal to me so take the hint Microsoft and AOL. I went to Yahoo to escape those two companies and now they feel they can just swoop up my patronage??? I don't think so....
Everything Microsoft touches is a flop.
MSNBC, Hotmail, Microsoft Network (Since rebranded MSN), ZUNE (with it's restrictive policies over what people can do with their own music) etc.....
Anyway if Yahoo goes forward with this, by canceling my services with Yahoo I'll save myself almost $100 a month... I'm not keeping any so called "Microsoft-Yahoo" stuff....
Also has anyone else noticed the HUGE spike in Spam on Yahoo Instant Messenger since Yahoo started to make it interoperable with Microsoft's messenger??? SPAMMERS love when two networks get together like that, because they can spam double the people in one network using a single app.
Microsoft-Yahoo? Heck it wont get my blessing or my $$$$.
Everything MS touches is a flop huh?
How about building an entire market built around open hardware...
How about windows - It may do a poor job at some things - but not everything - and the mac still is no threat.
Zune is a great product - what restrictions do you speak of? I've had two ipods and 2 Zune's- The Zune is handsdown better IMO...
Good luck with ditching it...
You have to be joking! Sure, some of Microsoft's products are better than others; no company will be able to create the #1 product in all categories. However, nobody can deny the success of Microsoft (overall).
Have fun canceling!
MS has been trying so hard to break the Google grip on the search market buying Yahoo only helps that.
To be honest Yahoo employees should be happy. Yahoo was going down, MS should have waited for the fire sale, but was probably worried Google would buy them. Yahoo offered nothing really anymore that Google or MS already have.
ATT could have bought them, to get the email and such since they use them for all of their customers. Oh well it will just be hotmail now.
Time to switch my only remaining Yahoo app to
Google...gtalk here i come.
I am going to be interested to see the stock value of Google as this plays on.
I'll bet that Google stock will go to "hold" status until the merger (if it occurs) is complete. This could take some time but both companies needed each other in a bad way. This would be such a perfect match, and a way to keep Yahoo alive.
If MS & Yahoo do what I think they are capable of then you'd better start selling your Google stock now.
One thing that could throw a wrench into the works is if MS decides to rid itself of the Yahoo name, then all bets are off.
approved by gov't regulators in the US, EU, and various Asian
governments.
Micrsofot (more specifically Steve Ballmer) is getting desperate.
MSN sucks. Vista sucks. Office 2k7 is mediocre at best. All the
buzz, growth, and future excitement comes from places like
Apple, Canonical, Google... not Microsoft.
Google is into buying radio spectrum, and its GMail service now
eclipses Hotmail for average (not spam) usage. In less than a
year, Apple now sells more smartphones in North America than
those built with Windows CE/Mobile - and Windows CE/Mobile
has been in that market for years now. In less than six years,
RedHat has gone from being a hobbyist's company, to being the
second largest server OS provider - if not the largest. Nintendo's
Wii stomped all over XBox last year in the ultimate 'comeback
kid' story.
What has Microsoft done in the past five years? Err, released a
widely-hated OS version and temporarily got the #1 slot with
that loss-leader of a game console called XBox.
Basically, Microsoft went from 'will be' to 'has been', and Ballmer
knows it. He needs something - anything - to get the buzz
going again in his favor. IMHO, I don't think this will be it, and
he'll have to settle for being #2 - again.
/P
Microsoft and Yahoo have been playing the catch-up game for the past few years. Google is always a step ahead of them: think Gmail, Google Earth/Maps, their "Docs" application, the Open Mobile platform thingy...which looks even more promising after yesterday's news regarding open access to the "C" block of the 700MHz. And Micrahoo (lol. I'm gonna coin that) is still trying to catch up with the Docs application.
So anyways, I think Google's future is very bright, and this is a momentary sale while investors make quick money in the Yahoo shares.
Me thinks that Microsoft was getting tired of playing the "gentle giant" card after showing it can at least TRY to remain competitive- but with Google (up until now) reporting astronomical growth, they are backed into a corner and are on the prowl for blood. Will this be the start of a new downward spiral for Microsoft (in terms of anti-trust suits all over again)?
This was not a merger announcement. It was an offer announcement. Made by the company making the offer. It is as much a psychological play as it is a financial one.
they haven't got a clue when it comes to search.
On the other you have Yahoo who has been in a steady decline
for years and hasn't got a clue when it comes to improving their
search.
What good will combining them do except give Microsoft the
bragging rights that they are now a distant second in search
rather than a distant fourth.
Assuming they keep the Yahoo brand. If they don't, IMO, they
won't gain a thing.
--
Thats an interesting statement considering what they are doing at the desktop market.
Microsoft will own the Internet...
It owns the Browser, Office, and the desktop OS.
Too much control, and poor quality products.
Monopoly is when you have no alternative, and the company abuses that position. Well there ARE alternatives: I use Firefox, search on Google, use Gmail...then MSN (sorry Live Messenger). There's plenty of choices out there.
Microsoft is doing a desperate move, and I don't think Yahoo is worth the $44B.
Anybody in Redmond remember that stuff that makes the computer operate? Wouldn't it be cool if it could make the computer operate better?
Yes, this is a move to become more competitve with Google. However, with the exception of the search engine Yahoo has it all over Google when it comes to the other services available.
;D nmw
ps: very good reporting here (APPLAUSE) :)
Yahoo! has a strong consumer franchise, and technically very strong search and advertising match capabilities.
Yahoo! is let down by unfriendly and inefficient processes and services for its advertisers, however, which is why it generates advertising revenues, but is not great at generating good profits.
<a href="http://www.digitalmarketing.us/blog/index.php/?p=43">Digital Marketing blog - YaSoft! or MicroHoo! ?</a>
Probably 70-80% of people running Vista (that includes me) would rush out and get a really good OS. It wouldn't affect businesses right away, but it would after a while. That would be a definite blow to MS... but I'm wondering if Apple will ever be interested in owning such a large market share (I think they're like the Marines: "the few, the proud, the Apple-users"), and if the deal they have with Microsoft for Office on the Mac doesn't involve a promise from Apple NOT to bring OS X to the PCs.
I think we're in for a pretty interesting couple of years.
in regards to google. Not that I'm taking sides here, but "Monopoly"
is strictly defined and Google does not force anybody to use their
products. If a better search engine came along I'd use it.
Besides, everything Msoft does sucks. If Apple bought Yahoo it might make sense since they actually have some creativity and vision. Msoft will no doubt try to "bundle" their search with essential OS components that won't work witout it so they can shove and inferior search down your throat. Don't think they won't try it because it Did work before. With all the lawsuits and troubles, What browser is still dominant? They have plenty of lawyers to fence while they corner the search market with an OS stranglehold.
MS overpaid by a large amount for Aquantive, it hasn't done much so far for the clueless and hapless MS. If Google hadn't gone after Double Click, MS wouldn't have made this deal. It is a classic case of the pathetic "keeping up with the Joneses".
Now to keep up(yet again) with a company who really isn't in the same business as MS, they want to massively overpay for a company in decline?
This makes sense only at MS. Google is not a threat to MS, in fact they are not in the same business.
Microsoft has this pathological need to squash any successful company that is anywhere near where MS lives.
Instead of trying to pay to keep your outdated and dying model going a little bit longer, they might as well start producing innovative work that people want as opposed to the crap they have now that requires unethical and pathetic lock in schemes to keep the money flowing.
Google has many problems, but at least they are still agile, can produce products and services people actually want.
Until MS figures out they will have to work to stay on top, they will be in decline, overpaying for lame companies is not the answer.
As for this Yahoo deal- I'd wait and see what happens. Apparently investors like the deal a lot to see Yahoo's stock go up so fast. Some of that is opportunistic, but since any purchase would be a year away, that's a long time to wait to trade for profits on those stocks.
By the way, Apple is considered a successful company and MS isn't going after them or to try and squash them. MS is going after markets that they are interested in. Things change.
"they might as well start producing innovative work that people want as opposed to the crap they have now that requires unethical and pathetic lock in schemes to keep the money flowing."
Heh, that describes the iPhone exactly to a T. MS isn't the only one that does this apparently. I'd be curious to see what sorts of Apple / Google link there will be next. Apple will need to do something or be left out in the cold.
For some reason some people insist on thinking that once a company gets to a certain size that they are supposed to sort of let competition bloom. Wrong! All company officers are legally obligated to grow their companies or get fired.
For example, will they be able quickly offer single sign in for all services via Open ID?
Many small things like this done quickly can add up to benefits users will care about.
This is common for any buyout. You want to buy into the stock that is being bought out to make your profit. Buying stock in the company doing the buying isn't profitable at the start.
Simple as that.
Also, I'm curious if anyone would know how this will play with the Eurpean regulators since Msft is already being whacked over the head for being a naughty monopoly?
But as with everything, we really don't know how good Google could have been or can be. Because Google doesn't know. Well, competition from another very talented crew is going to light up our sky with creative fireworks that come from two phenomenal forces vying for our technical attention. And Google will find out how great they really can be!
Is capitalism great or what?
Is Microsoft talking about themselves or Yahoo ;')
The only difference is Google actually buys stuff, while Msoft stole most of their ideas.
As long as they handle everything right. The down side (or dark side), would be if they ae just planning on buying out a compeditor, and just scrap/fire everyone.
Alan S. House
alan.house@mahrtec.com