http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/microsoft_yahoo

Google fanboys: Its nice that you have an opinion and all, but don't think google is the FINAL master of the world. Yahoo has the highest world wide traffic ranking. Yahoo is number one, followed by google and youtube.

http://www.alexa.com/site/ds/top_sit...obal&lang=none

SAN FRANCISCO - Yahoo Inc.'s board has concluded Microsoft Corp.'s $44.6 billion takeover bid undervalues the slumping Internet pioneer and plans to reject the unsolicited offer, a person familiar with the situation said Saturday.


The decision, first reported by The Wall Street Journal on its Web site, could trigger a showdown involving two of the world's most prominent technology companies.

If it wants Yahoo badly enough, Microsoft could try to override Yahoo's board by taking its offer — originally valued at $31 per share — directly to the shareholders. If Microsoft pursued that risky route, it will likely have to nominate its slate of directors to supplant Yahoo's current 10-member board.

Alternatively, Microsoft could sweeten its bid. Many analysts believe Microsoft is prepared to offer as much as $35 per share for Yahoo, which still boasts one of the Internet's largest audiences and most powerful advertising vehicles despite a prolonged slump that has hammered its stock.

Yahoo's board reached the decision after exploring a wide variety of alternatives during the past week, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press. The person didn't want to be identified because the reasons for Yahoo's rebuff won't be officially spelled out until Monday morning.

Microsoft and Yahoo declined to comment Saturday.

Microsoft needs to do something though in their fight against a rapidly growing threat (Google). The 40+ billion bid may have seemed like a bad decision but if it helped to keep their core businesses safe it would have been more than worth it. Microsoft needs new leadership because in my opinion they should be doing a lot better online and with the 360 (bad decisions have cost millions of console sales, lost opportunities of buying successful game developers, and keeping their internal studios happy).

Any chance they're just waiting for more money? I know they were considering going to google, basically for that same reason.

1st, let's get the facts straigth: alexa counts yahoo.com as one site, and that includes, say, the cn.yahoo.com, hk.yahoo.com, etc. whereas, google.com is by itself, google.hk is by itself, google.cn is by itself. nor does it include youtube, which is owned by google.

so it's a methodology issue.

in addition, it's SEARCH that google dominates:
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2007/12/28/next-stop-microhoo.aspx
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/02/01/microsoft-or-bust-for-yahoo.aspx

as you see, yahoo and microsoft aren't even close.

Legend11 said: Microsoft needs to do something though in their fight against a rapidly growing threat (Google). The 40+ billion bid may have seemed like a bad decision but if it helped to keep their core businesses safe it would have been more than worth it. Microsoft needs new leadership because in my opinion they should be doing a lot better online and with the 360 (bad decisions have cost millions of console sales, lost opportunities of buying successful game developers, and keeping their internal studios happy).

 quite frankly, microsoft doesn't really care about 360.  it's only a very peripheral business for the company.  plus, game studios are so much cheaper price just won't affect any acquisition decisons for microsoft.

search, is much more core to the company.  microsoft's chief rival appears to be google now, not IBM, not Apple, even.

This was just going to be a lawsuit waiting to happen anyway, as no doubt Microsoft would somehow embed Yahoo search into the Windows operating system or make it the default homepage of Internet Explorer...

Hopefully they'll use $50 billion dollars to buy up some developers now - how 'bout Square/Konami/Capcom/Sega?

Lingyis said: Legend11 said: Microsoft needs to do something though in their fight against a rapidly growing threat (Google). The 40+ billion bid may have seemed like a bad decision but if it helped to keep their core businesses safe it would have been more than worth it. Microsoft needs new leadership because in my opinion they should be doing a lot better online and with the 360 (bad decisions have cost millions of console sales, lost opportunities of buying successful game developers, and keeping their internal studios happy).  quite frankly, microsoft doesn't really care about 360.  it's only a very peripheral business for the company.  plus, game studios are so much cheaper price just won't affect any acquisition decisons for microsoft. search, is much more core to the company.  microsoft's chief rival appears to be google now, not IBM, not Apple, even.

They care, they wouldn't have stuck with the system this long and obviously plan to continue with it if they didn't care.  It's just that Google is far more of a threat to them and their core businesses than Sony (I guess I'm agreeing with you on your second point).

They should have offered them more. To bad.

Edge112 said: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/microsoft_yahoo Google fanboys: Its nice that you have an opinion and all, but don't think google is the FINAL master of the world. Yahoo has the highest world wide traffic ranking. Yahoo is number one, followed by google and youtube. http://www.alexa.com/site/ds/top_sit...obal⟨=none SAN FRANCISCO - Yahoo Inc.'s board has concluded Microsoft Corp.'s $44.6 billion takeover bid undervalues the slumping Internet pioneer and plans to reject the unsolicited offer, a person familiar with the situation said Saturday. The decision, first reported by The Wall Street Journal on its Web site, could trigger a showdown involving two of the world's most prominent technology companies. If it wants Yahoo badly enough, Microsoft could try to override Yahoo's board by taking its offer — originally valued at $31 per share — directly to the shareholders. If Microsoft pursued that risky route, it will likely have to nominate its slate of directors to supplant Yahoo's current 10-member board. Alternatively, Microsoft could sweeten its bid. Many analysts believe Microsoft is prepared to offer as much as $35 per share for Yahoo, which still boasts one of the Internet's largest audiences and most powerful advertising vehicles despite a prolonged slump that has hammered its stock. Yahoo's board reached the decision after exploring a wide variety of alternatives during the past week, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press. The person didn't want to be identified because the reasons for Yahoo's rebuff won't be officially spelled out until Monday morning. Microsoft and Yahoo declined to comment Saturday.

 Google owns YouTube, and you fail to include google.co.uk and all the other international extensions. Google is bigger. Plus with all the web aps they give google users way more freedom to do what they need to like use a word processor, spreadsheet maker, etc.

Google over everything always. There is a reason why Google stocks are so high.

oh yeah, on topic:

i hope the deal goes through. a google-yahoo tie-up seems like a horrible thing. it'll be google everywhere in the near future at this rate. my friends at facebook and google suggests that google may eventually buy out facebook because of facebook's cultural misfits with microsoft, after microsoft's $150 mln investment in facebook.

despite that, i doubt microsoft can successfully integrate yahoo. what microsoft needs, i personally believe, is an overhaul of management. bill gates leaving would be the first important step, and thank god he is finally leaving in a few months.