Comments on: The Secret MS vs. Yahoo! Plan http://www.tapsns.com/blog/index.php/2008/04/the-secret-ms-vs-yahoo-plan/ Mark Anderson Strategic News Service Sun, 16 Jan 2011 14:38:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Tim Coldwell http://www.tapsns.com/blog/index.php/2008/04/the-secret-ms-vs-yahoo-plan/comment-page-1/#comment-235 Tim Coldwell Mon, 05 May 2008 11:14:20 +0000 http://www.tapsns.com/blog/?p=138#comment-235 Plan C? From WIRED - Epicentre Buy AOL? EXTRACT: The only other companies that can deliver the sort of scale Microsoft needs to grow its ad business, according to Ballmer, are Google (impossible), MySpace (taken), Facebook (Microsoft already has a stake), Yahoo (he's trying), MSN (home team) and AOL. One of these things is not like the other: Among those names, the only company really ripe for a takeover, and which Microsoft hasn't made a pass at yet (that we know of) is AOL. Our Tip to Mr. Ballmer: Forget Yahoo, Buy AOL By Betsy Schiffman May 02, 2008 http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/05/aol-could-be-le.html Plan C? From WIRED – Epicentre

Buy AOL?

EXTRACT: The only other companies that can deliver the sort of scale Microsoft needs to grow its ad business, according to Ballmer, are Google (impossible), MySpace (taken), Facebook (Microsoft already has a stake), Yahoo (he’s trying), MSN (home team) and AOL. One of these things is not like the other: Among those names, the only company really ripe for a takeover, and which Microsoft hasn’t made a pass at yet (that we know of) is AOL.

Our Tip to Mr. Ballmer: Forget Yahoo, Buy AOL
By Betsy Schiffman May 02, 2008
http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/05/aol-could-be-le.html

]]> By: Tim Coldwell http://www.tapsns.com/blog/index.php/2008/04/the-secret-ms-vs-yahoo-plan/comment-page-1/#comment-234 Tim Coldwell Sat, 03 May 2008 11:14:52 +0000 http://www.tapsns.com/blog/?p=138#comment-234 It will be interesting to see if your message (proxy for the stars?) is taken on board. Feels like a BS/JPM weekend is overdue but without the Fed to grease the deal/knock heads together .... In the end it's just about money, as shareholders and markets may remind the parties, maybe rudely in coming weeks. Bandit advisors, bean counters and lawyers will be the biggest winners regardless of the final outcome. It will be interesting to see if your message (proxy for the stars?) is taken on board. Feels like a BS/JPM weekend is overdue but without the Fed to grease the deal/knock heads together ….

In the end it’s just about money, as shareholders and markets may remind the parties, maybe rudely in coming weeks.

Bandit advisors, bean counters and lawyers will be the biggest winners regardless of the final outcome.

]]> By: Dave Hardwick http://www.tapsns.com/blog/index.php/2008/04/the-secret-ms-vs-yahoo-plan/comment-page-1/#comment-233 Dave Hardwick Thu, 01 May 2008 17:03:40 +0000 http://www.tapsns.com/blog/?p=138#comment-233 Two nits. First, Google has already started to lose its luster to attract top talent; red tape? politics? Staff expectations (set in the early go-go-go days) getting crushed on the rocks of reality? Regardless of the cause, the word is leaking out. Second, many of the stars at both Microsoft and Yahoo are thinking up new things to do on their own, plus they have plenty of connections into the Angel Investment Community. All this should result in a nice wave of very interesting new product ideas and exciting, innovative companies. Thus, by the time MSFT buys Google, all the great and good employees (two ranks below stars) will have places to work. Two nits.

First, Google has already started to lose its luster to attract top talent; red tape? politics? Staff expectations (set in the early go-go-go days) getting crushed on the rocks of reality? Regardless of the cause, the word is leaking out.

Second, many of the stars at both Microsoft and Yahoo are thinking up new things to do on their own, plus they have plenty of connections into the Angel Investment Community. All this should result in a nice wave of very interesting new product ideas and exciting, innovative companies. Thus, by the time MSFT buys Google, all the great and good employees (two ranks below stars) will have places to work.

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