Comments on: AOL to stick with Google

Search king to buy stake in America Online to keep ad deal--as Microsoft gets left out in the cold, a source says.

[Broward Horne]

Yahoo Meme Eclipses Google & AOL

http://www.realmeme.com:8080/roller/page/realmeme?entry=google_versus_yahoo

[Betty Roper]

Win Win for Microsoft

AOL had been providing 15% of Google revenue -- now Google hands 80% of that back to AOL in hopes of dubious future "synergies".

Looks like MS got what they wanted (gutting Google revenue) and didn't have to part with a penny to do it. Impressive.

[Cornholieo]

Wow a Microsoft Lover

Wow a person that cheers on Microsoft. Did not know that you
people existed.

[sancat]

dubious win

This wasnt the intended end of the story from Microsoft side. When your competitors, which are of comparable size get into alliances, that is not really a good thing.
Furthermore the money Google paid is Bubble money (remember the dot com days?), not revenue money. Google has a lot of cash to invest, and buying a stake at the company that provide a sensible part of your revenue is just an obvious step.
About synergies, they already exist: AOL provides 10% of Google's revenues, and now Google is indexing music: Warner's assets!
Microsoft, now facing Yahoo, and Google-AOL, is now caught between a crossfire.
You have to look to the big picture

[NWLB]

Not really.

I differ on that point. Anything MS doesn't prevent Google from getting is a loss. Companies are siding with Google because it has the edge in many ways. The world senses this might be the company and time to start hedging against MS.

[FisherKingKQJ]

comment on comment

I think this is an accurate assessment. It is likely to push Yahoo into #3 spot, the way Nintendo has been pushed into #3 spot. :) :) :)_

[UntoldDreams]

:-)

I was gonna say something...
Then I thought... Too easy.

[ejpasseos]

Win for AOL & Google, embarassments continue for Bill and Ballmer

There is no way to read this story as anything but a big loss for Mr. Softie. Two months after results starting pouring in regarding their new MSN search showind DECREASING market share, MSN looses out on the hugely successful AOL property. Frankly, I doubt if they were ever in the running seriously. The Wall St. Journal Saturday had a very detailed account of the timeline leading to MSFT loosing out. Apparently, shockinglingly actually, their were antitrust concerns due to the dial up numbers.
Googe wins big in shoring up an about to expire, very successful partnership with AOL.
What will the angry Carl Ichan say? He's been hammering Dick Parsons to dump AOL.
I was with AOL when you still paid for time used, and like others dumped them when I went broadband. Through the time, I always defended the service due to its incredible ability to get newbies online. Frankly, I think some of the hemorraging of users could have been slowed if they had introduced a bare bones dial up service like they have now with the $9.95 Netscape service (they also provide the service for Wal-Mart connect).
The great James Stewart of the Wall St. Journal and Smart Money have argued that AOL is very valuable for both it's sites (Mapquest, Moviefone, and the AOL homepage), but also it's dial up business. At this point in my life, I can't afford/won't pay $40-50 for cable broadband, and don't have cell reception in my apartment. So, I have to have a landline. $9.95 or $23 at AOL is still a good option. (I know DSL rates are falling).
AOL/Prodigy/Compuserve (Steve Case specifically) brought the Internet to millions and millions of people. That is a great thing. Yes, yes, the merger was a stock disaster, but as much because of the arrogance of the TW people and their intransigence in blocking AOL's access to their precious content. The market reacted harshly to these non-existent synergies and the rest is history. That can't be blamed on Case/AOL by leftist Turner and other bitter people at TW.
When Case got word recently of the deal, he left the board and wrote an op-ed criticizing management's neglect of AOL. Good for him. Just now, years after the merger, in my area TWC is offering AOL with RoadRunner.
Best of luck to Google and AOL, and Mr. Softie your troubles continue.
Shalom,
EJ Passeos
Akron, OH

[Cornholieo]

More of an embarassment for Ballmer than Bill

Microsoft's issues come down to Ballmer. Since Bill left primary
managment to Ballmer, the company has lost its mojo. Explorer
has not had a major revamp in ages, and is now reluctantly doing
so due to a small, but slowly eroding customer base (Firefox).
There also been no major upgrades to their office programs, since
they have a monopoly on the products. Now that Bill seems to be
getting back into the creative aspects of the company it will be
interesting how things shape up.

[Dead Soulman]

Very Nice

This is good news for AOL as well as Google. They do great business together. So, it only makes sense.
Forget Mr Gates and Ballmer.

[exquicorp]

Don't Be Evil

If Only Micro$oft had come up with that slogan. It appears that while Microsoft is evil (for making money presumably), Google is fresh innovative and nice and not evil (for not making as much money presumably).

AOL is a mess
Microsoft is changing
Google is a few bad choices away from AOL

All three will destroy little competitors. None of them will lose (by "them" I mean the people who actually make money). Most people are poor investors, or poorer employees. Having an opinion about the BILLIONS these companies make whilst struggling with Credit Card debt - is amusing but somewhat worthwhile. It's amazing how much people forgive in order to belong to the "google clan" or the "anti-MS bashers".
This is part of the corporate money go round...the only thing that changed is that Google is a new entrant into the ring-o-money game...

To all those that hate M$ but bought an XBOX360 - I salute you.

[Cornholieo]

LOL

Don't feel sorry for any of the employees at these companies.
These employees are well paid and it is common knowledge that
many of the employees at Google at time of IPO are now
millionaires, and have cashed out and realised the millions. Google
will probably be around awhile as will yahoo, they both are very
profitable and both made it through the .dot bust. And if these
companies do fold, they will find jobs in another tech company.
Such is the circle of life in the tech industry.

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