Internet’s biggest names take sides in the Microsoft-Yahoo! battle
Microsoft’s efforts to take over Yahoo! have already taken a series of twists. Now, it’s getting more complex with the possibility of the Internet’s biggest names joining either side. Microsoft is rumoured to be on the verge of striking a collaboration with News Corp. and Yahoo!, on other hand, is hoping for assistance from Google and AOL.
Yahoo! is rather struggling to strengthen itself in the face of sustained pressure from Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, which started with a surprise unsolicited £22bn approach a couple of months ago.
The Silicon Valley firm is reported to be working out a deal with Time Warner that would result in the AOL brand getting combined with Yahoo!, giving it a vital cash injection and letting it to buy back its own stock for protecting it against a hostile takeover. Meanwhile, Yahoo! is also conducting an ‘experiment’ with Google that also has a stake in AOL. The experiment will involve testing of the search engine’s advertising systems on Yahoo!’s site. Although both firms played down the reported deal, many see it as an effort by Yahoo! to bring yet another influential Internet player into its camp.
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