3 ms·

Microsoft eyeing Yahoo (buyout) deal!

13 points by gibsonf1 20y ago

Tichy 20y ago
I hope not :-(
mojuba 20y ago
If a software giant buys an Internet company, then an Internet giant should buy a software house. This translates to "Google is eyeing Adobe". Just my 2 eurocents :)
andreyf 20y ago
WTF?
nickb 20y ago
Let's hope this never materializes :( We're (startups) all screwed if it does.
- aston 20y ago
  Why's that?
  - ecuzzillo 20y ago
    Big companies may be slow, but some of them have significant startup-smooshing power. Presumably, the fear is that the MS-Yahoo conglomerate would attempt to smoosh startups by, say, making everything Yahoo work only with things MS, and generally promoting lock-in and anti-open anti-internet-stuff. It might not work, but when such large objects are in play it seems reasonable to worry.
- whacked_new 20y ago
  Look how well the google/dodgeball, the overture/yahoo, and now flickr/yahoo did. now think how ms/yahoo will do. big, fat, fat, fat, giant. fat, fat, fat...
  - Sam_Odio 20y ago
    That would actually be good for us. The slower they become, the more nimble us startups look in comparison.
- schoudha 20y ago
  Startups are screwed? A MS/Yahoo combination is a play by MS to get immediate marketshare in search and other major online services so that it can allow it's MSN monetization engine to compete. Startups shouldn't be looking to compete with the core businesses of Google and MS/Yahoo. They should (I think): 1. Invent a new service 2. Improve a service that sucks I doubt PG funded anyone who claims they can build a better search engine. There are some thing big companies can do and other things they can't (i.e. Justin.TV).
- Tichy 20y ago
  If MS buys Yahoo, the internet loses a lot of useful applications (as obviously the Yahoo stuff won't be usable anymore in the long run). Hence more opportunities for startups, I would think?
far33d 20y ago
losers buying losers. so what. pk has good analysis on this: http://paul.kedrosky.com/archives/2007/05/04/microsoft_yahoo.html http://paul.kedrosky.com/archives/2007/05/04/microsoft_yahoo.html
mojuba 20y ago
After all, MS will learn some Lisp by looking at Viaweb sources.
- byrneseyeview 20y ago
  Bill Gates says he knows Lisp: http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/comphist/gates.htm#tc2 http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/comphist/gates.htm#tc2
- papersmith 20y ago
  I think Yahoo rewrote Viaweb in C++. The only thing that's still remotely Lispy about it is that they kept RTML.
  - pg 20y ago
    That's pretty Lispy, because RTML is stored on disk as s-expressions. So rewriting Viaweb in C++ literally meant writing a Lisp interpreter.
    - jey 20y ago
      Wow, someone should give Yahoo an award for "Most literal application of Greenspun's Tenth Rule."
- neilc 20y ago
  Actually, plenty of people at Microsoft know Lisp.
pg 20y ago
Another exclusive from the New York Post? Why should they know anything?
- nostrademons 20y ago
  It's on Yahoo news too ( http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070504/ap_on_hi_te/microsoft_yahoo;_ylt=AntWG4EvKLA7xQ..KNF5e4HMWM0F http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070504/ap_on_hi_te/microsoft_yahoo;_ylt=AntWG4EvKLA7xQ..KNF5e4HMWM0F ). The Y!News story cites the Post article as a source, but it would be pretty funny if Yahoo News reported on a story about Yahoo that wasn't true...
- gyro_robo 20y ago
  FWIW, The WSJ is reporting on it too: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117827827757492168.html?mod=home_whats_news_us http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117827827757492168.html?mod=home_whats_news_us Reuters mentions both stories: http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/070504/yahoo_microsoft.html?.v=9 http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/070504/yahoo_microsoft.html?.v=9
- byrneseyeview 20y ago
  The Post's business section is surprisingly respectable. The traders I know prefer it to the Times.
gyro_robo 20y ago
Most analysts will probably say, "think of the combined power!" I'd say: Think of the combined inertia. To further abuse the analogy, it's like two huge masses colliding so now you need twice the escape velocity. We may never see another product launch from either company.
gms 20y ago
Even if it's true, does this really matter? I might be wrong, but to me it seems that both companies are sliding into irrelevancy anyway.
paul 20y ago
The big winner in this deal would of course be Google. MS/Yahoo will spend years on integrating and infighting.
nickb 20y ago
"Microsoft and Yahoo in recent months discussed a possible merger of the two companies or some kind of match-up that would pair their respective strengths, say people familiar with the situation. But the merger discussions are no longer active, these people say. The two companies may still explore other ways of cooperating." http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117827827757492168.html?mod=home_whats_news_us http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117827827757492168.html?mod=home_whats_news_us This is just some hedge fund manipulating the market by making up a fake story that press just eats up.

13 points by gibsonf1 20y ago

Tichy 20y ago

I hope not :-(

If a software giant buys an Internet company, then an Internet giant should buy a software house. This translates to "Google is eyeing Adobe". Just my 2 eurocents :)

andreyf 20y ago

WTF?

nickb 20y ago

Let's hope this never materializes :( We're (startups) all screwed if it does.

aston 20y ago
Why's that?
- ecuzzillo 20y ago
  Big companies may be slow, but some of them have significant startup-smooshing power. Presumably, the fear is that the MS-Yahoo conglomerate would attempt to smoosh startups by, say, making everything Yahoo work only with things MS, and generally promoting lock-in and anti-open anti-internet-stuff. It might not work, but when such large objects are in play it seems reasonable to worry.
whacked_new 20y ago
Look how well the google/dodgeball, the overture/yahoo, and now flickr/yahoo did. now think how ms/yahoo will do. big, fat, fat, fat, giant. fat, fat, fat...
- Sam_Odio 20y ago
  That would actually be good for us. The slower they become, the more nimble us startups look in comparison.
schoudha 20y ago
Startups are screwed? A MS/Yahoo combination is a play by MS to get immediate marketshare in search and other major online services so that it can allow it's MSN monetization engine to compete. Startups shouldn't be looking to compete with the core businesses of Google and MS/Yahoo. They should (I think): 1. Invent a new service 2. Improve a service that sucks I doubt PG funded anyone who claims they can build a better search engine. There are some thing big companies can do and other things they can't (i.e. Justin.TV).
Tichy 20y ago
If MS buys Yahoo, the internet loses a lot of useful applications (as obviously the Yahoo stuff won't be usable anymore in the long run). Hence more opportunities for startups, I would think?

far33d 20y ago

losers buying losers. so what. pk has good analysis on this: http://paul.kedrosky.com/archives/2007/05/04/microsoft_yahoo.html http://paul.kedrosky.com/archives/2007/05/04/microsoft_yahoo.html

mojuba 20y ago

After all, MS will learn some Lisp by looking at Viaweb sources.

byrneseyeview 20y ago
Bill Gates says he knows Lisp: http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/comphist/gates.htm#tc2 http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/comphist/gates.htm#tc2
papersmith 20y ago
I think Yahoo rewrote Viaweb in C++. The only thing that's still remotely Lispy about it is that they kept RTML.
- pg 20y ago
  That's pretty Lispy, because RTML is stored on disk as s-expressions. So rewriting Viaweb in C++ literally meant writing a Lisp interpreter.
  - jey 20y ago
    Wow, someone should give Yahoo an award for "Most literal application of Greenspun's Tenth Rule."
neilc 20y ago
Actually, plenty of people at Microsoft know Lisp.

pg 20y ago

Another exclusive from the New York Post? Why should they know anything?

nostrademons 20y ago
It's on Yahoo news too ( http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070504/ap_on_hi_te/microsoft_yahoo;_ylt=AntWG4EvKLA7xQ..KNF5e4HMWM0F http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070504/ap_on_hi_te/microsoft_yahoo;_ylt=AntWG4EvKLA7xQ..KNF5e4HMWM0F ). The Y!News story cites the Post article as a source, but it would be pretty funny if Yahoo News reported on a story about Yahoo that wasn't true...
gyro_robo 20y ago
FWIW, The WSJ is reporting on it too: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117827827757492168.html?mod=home_whats_news_us http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117827827757492168.html?mod=home_whats_news_us Reuters mentions both stories: http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/070504/yahoo_microsoft.html?.v=9 http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/070504/yahoo_microsoft.html?.v=9
byrneseyeview 20y ago
The Post's business section is surprisingly respectable. The traders I know prefer it to the Times.

gyro_robo 20y ago

Most analysts will probably say, "think of the combined power!" I'd say: Think of the combined inertia. To further abuse the analogy, it's like two huge masses colliding so now you need twice the escape velocity. We may never see another product launch from either company.

gms 20y ago

Even if it's true, does this really matter? I might be wrong, but to me it seems that both companies are sliding into irrelevancy anyway.

paul 20y ago

The big winner in this deal would of course be Google. MS/Yahoo will spend years on integrating and infighting.

nickb 20y ago

"Microsoft and Yahoo in recent months discussed a possible merger of the two companies or some kind of match-up that would pair their respective strengths, say people familiar with the situation. But the merger discussions are no longer active, these people say. The two companies may still explore other ways of cooperating." http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117827827757492168.html?mod=home_whats_news_us http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117827827757492168.html?mod=home_whats_news_us This is just some hedge fund manipulating the market by making up a fake story that press just eats up.