Yahoo, Microsoft Back At The Table

I don't understand why Microsoft has to <i>acquire</i> yahoo. Most acquisitions are pretty disastrous in terms of clashing company cultures, new power struggles, and the best people of the acquired entity leaving.<p>The main argument for this acquisition seems to be "to compete with google", which further seems to boil down to "to compete with adsense".<p>Why then can't MS and yahoo just do a joint venture ad network to compete with adsense instead of MS trying to swallow yahoo whole?<p>My only "answer" is that MS a) has too much cash they need to get rid of (fast?), and b) doesn't realize that some people find them as repugnant as the proverbial creepy child-molesting uncle.

Microsoft is acting like a desperate &#38; spurned lover, Yahoo like the 30+ year old former HS cheerleader who thinks she still has what the boys want.

M$ + Yahoo = Google wins

It's like a race where one guy is ahead and the number two and three stop and have a fistfight, each thinking they'll win the race if they knock out the other.<p>Both these CEOs are dead. The only life left in them is the natural processes that result in shutting down and turning into fossils. Vista was like when a person dies and shits their pants, and this yahoo takeover is like the aggressive erection the embalmer has to deal with before they can replace the blood with embalming fluid, show the body off one more time, and put it in the ground..

i dont know why i'm shot down (by down arrow) by the readers - but once again i would like to clarify if u guys have mistaken me ... first thing first, this is definitely 3 way fight (yahoo, google and ms) - the timing is important here as yahoo &#38; goolge is almost there to announce a deal and MS shows up with an alternative to keep google away from the deal (this is no brainier). This gives Yahoo an awesome position (at least for short term) with huge multiple benefits,such as #1 it can get best of the best deal possible either from google or MS (doesn't really matter who as far as good money shows up in yahoo's bank account), #2 these negotiations will put a speed breaker on Carl Ichan's bid for getting a new board (remember shareholder meeting is not far away, again it is all about timing) #3 if any deal is announced (whether with google or MS) before shareholder's meeting then yahoo's stock price will go up for sure and the chances are Carl Ichan will soften his position, #4 the deal (with google or ms) will make everyone happy with win win situation for all 3 important yahoo stake-holders (employees, end-users and shareholders) and #5 the biggest of all is if yahoo and google get in to a deal then stock prices will go up and yahoo will be then able to justify why they didn't budge to sell the company to MS - also now if at all MS wants to buy yahoo (even after a year) then they have to bow down to the price that yahoo wants, also remember this deal (between yahoo and google) will also make all 3 stake-holders happy. So by this analysis i think Yang is proving to be in a very strong position and he is smart enough to get the best out of these 2 bidders to make all 3 important stake-holders happy ....

oh! this is going to be interesting !!! it will create a clear 3 way fight (yahoo, google and MS) with fair chances and platform to everyone ... on the other side it could also be a tactic by yahoo to divert the shareholder's attention so that any attack on their board thru proxy war can be eliminated. THIS IS REALLY GOING TO BE A FUN !!! (smart one though)