Comments on: Steve Ballmer's letter to Jerry Yang

Here is the text of the letter Microsoft's Steve Ballmer sent to Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang after talks broke down on Saturday.

[smashie²]

Picture This

Ballmer screaming the words while you read it.

Ideally his behaviour had a lot to do with Yahoo's rejection.

[theantibush]

ballmie == bushie

don't expect msft to figure it out

[assclownbush]

Good Riddance

No deal is a good deal.

[UMTopSpinC7]

Good

This is the best thing that could have happened for Microsoft. Yahoo! wasn't worth that much money anyway. After their outsourcing of part of their search technology I don't see why the company has a whole lot of value. Sure MS would get all of Yahoo's customers but in the long term I don't think it was a smart idea. The logistics and money required to effectively combine MSN and Yahoo! or even get them to work together would be ridiculous. Ballmer may seem crazy, but I'm very happy with his decision on this one.

[lkrupp]

I'm happy too...

But not for the reasons stated in the above post. The borg have
finally been beaten back. Think about about how far along the
online revolution would be if not for the stifling, monopolistic
behavior of Microsoft. Think of how useful the internet would be
by now if it had not been held back by such a dull, barely
useable piece of crap like Internet Explorer. Think of all the
innovation lost or postponed because Microsoft killed off or
bought up the competition by hook or by crook (mostly crook).
Imagine where we all would be if Microsoft had not flooded the
market with mediocre software and then forced it down people's
throats. It's truly sad that Microsoft even exists. Hopefully their influence is on the wane so the online world can move forward.

[gerrrg]

lost opportunities

I like Google a TON (hell, I'm a Google fanboy), except that I don't like the idea of any one company holding a near-monopoly of anything. Therein lies the rub...Microsoft also holds a near-monopoly in the OS market and the productivity suite market. As much as I'm scared of the big gorilla in the room (MS), I'm also scared of the other gorilla outside the door (Google).
I know that Google's mantra is to do no evil, but they're a public company; public companies have little room for goodness unless there's profit involved (and reason for the stock price to go up), bottom line.
Backing MS is hedging that so long as the big gorilla in the house is the biggest gorilla around, we don't need to fear the other one...Google.
Hence, a lost opportunity.

[linadragon]

you know...

Its somewhat hypocritical of Ballmer to say less consumer choice when Microsoft already has a search program themselves that barely anyone uses and yes he criticizes yahoo and google for merging a little when he wants to merge yahoo with ms who already has MSN so its a bit off for him to say anything to that effect really. Oh hey im mad cuz they are doing what i was trying to do it just doesnt work :P

[loserguy3000]

"combinatin of our companies"

I appreciated Balmer's use of language on this item. He seemed to imply something far less sinister than what would have eventually first bled dry then harvested whatever remained of the once-dominant Yahoo name and entity.

I'm not an alarmist, but Microsoft sees best for what Microsoft sees. The company has demonstrated in the past a complete lack of perspective within the new market and as such as seen practically every innovation (if you could call them that) fail under their leadership.

MS + Yahoo is short term, to the eventual destruction of one at the bequest of the other. Microsoft really is the Borg of this world, as pathetic as that may sound. Good for Yahoo... beat the suckers back and give inspiration to other companies to stand up for themselves and not feel intimidated at this once indomitable, smoking shell of a former superpower.

Stand up to them...its possible to do this! Don't give in!

[Fireweaver]

Beat the Suckers

Yahoo only served to hold off a take over. To say that they "beat the suckers" will only be true if their stock doesn't completely tank and their company can thrive over the next year.
That's a big "if"

[ClubbieTim]

BUY: Microsoft; SELL: Yahool

Watch Yahoo's stock tank to $15/share....Oh those sorry shareholders...Today $30/share, tomorrow $15. Ouch...This is like the cool fat girl getting getting a marriage proposal from, um, a nerdy rich guy, say Bill Gates and then refusing it.

Her parents are going to be so pissed!

I'm glad I own MSFT calls! Booyah!

I wish I owned YHOO puts!!! To bad...

[ppgreat]

Why is it every time...

...I hear or read a Microsoft exec say "innovate", I start to giggle?

[protagonistic]

RE: Why is it every time...

Perhaps because you have a well developed sense of humor? And
perhaps because unlike a previous poster you have the ability to
envision what might have been if we had not come under MS
innovative ideas. :-)

[linux101]

Would just love to see it...

Now wouldn't you all just love to see Google gobble it up for some
outrageous price? I sure would!

[mayadanteamihan]

Prayers work!

Prayers work! I would hate to see Yahoo fall into Steve Ballmer's
hands. There's something not quite right about his business ethics.
Google's open source consumer-oriented mindset is more aligned
with Yahoo's. Yahoo's visual ads and Google's text ads should work
together fine as long as they open it to everyone.

[desmondhaynes]

Balmer is Smart!

Balmer did nothing wrong - why do I say? He screwed with one of his ad competitors (yahoo) made them look like dog sh*t; smoked out Google and finally nothing like getting the troops at msft at least moving again..they have been lame competitors since the DOJ ********... Balmer had nothing to lose and a ton to gain on the competitive strategy side..finally good to see Yahoo get competitive or at least hitting the proverbial gym..

This was doomed from day 1

http://techwatch.reviewk.com/

[snatchmo]

Nothing wrong?

Ballmer did nothing wrong except bid about $12B too much for
Yahoo in the first place. After all the press. all the employee and
shareholder angst, Yahoo and MSFT are tired and distracted,
Google strengthened and all of us poorer for the aborted attempt.

But after 3 months he finally did do the right thing. Just a slow
learner, Ballmer is.

[Brian]

Google doesn't need Yahoo

Google is bigger than Microsoft and rightfully so.

Unlike Netscape, Google was smart enough to win and keep on
winning.

If Google accepts Yahoo's partnership, this would not benefit
Google's long term strategy one bit, unless they fear a Microsoft-
Yahoo merger (doubtful).

[theantibush]

The antibush's letter to ballmie

Dearest ballmie,
I see yo mouth has cost msft 20% of the search ? ad biz. Oh well.
And it must suk to loose an extra quarter bil a year over last year?s half bil loss on
on-line svcs.

Here?s an idea 4u...and you can tell billy you dreamed it up all on your own:
msft makes lots of prods, even populist garbage for hicks.
Why not give what few customers u have ?hick credits? uhh... ?click credits?
against said garbage 4 usin ur bland me2 svcs?

Or even against what you are already burning through (cash, if I have to draw u a pic).

And Im sure ur ?devs devs devs? can weed out the chronic clickers.

You see, if you cant buy the company, why not buy the customers?

(Buy? I see a glow commin from ballmies bald head)

yeah goog will copy that...but wouldn't that be
cool, to be the copied for a change?

And stop screamin so damn much.
it will make ur hair fall out.

uuhh...nm

[open-mind]

No The Letter I Expected.

I was expecting...

Dear Jerry,

Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.
Developers, developers, developers, developers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMU0tzLwhbE

;-)

[toddbeckett]

Short Microsoft
I have been using vista (with much reluctance) for a couple weeks with office 2007, and I can tell you. The good news is Vista isn't nearly as terrible as it was a year ago. The bad news is, the commercials are wrong, it still sucks. Microsoft has messed up both of their flagship products in short succession. No doubt that open office still sucks worse and google docs aren't really there yet, but MS you picked a terrible time to mangle your 2 best products.

If you think I am wrong, try to paste special or make a graph in excel. Nearly impossible. Worse, it seems the reason for all this change is to make things look cuter. That is right after years of telling the world that function is more important than form ms has veered off into the realm of glidey graphics. Honestly, MS, those ads are correct. You aren't cool. You have never been cool. Frankly when you try to be cool, you look like an idiot. MS, I tell you this from experience and because I feel like I know you, don't bother. Just stick to being the best. Make people's lives simpler, do cheaper (or free), and do it faster.

QWAN Microsoft, QWAN.

In the meantime, I am shorting your stock.

Love Todd

PS - This isn't real investment advice since only a moron shorts a company with a googleplex dollars in the bank.