[valensds]

My Nan was telling me not so long ago that Microsoft bought out Yahoo for $50 billion. Is this true?

[Edqpdnuu]

NO!!

At least not yet, although they have made an offer >> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7222114.stm

[maks_holi]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7222114.stm

[BokerokyBan]

They haven't actually bought them yet, but are in the process of a hostile take-over.

[valensds]

Wow, Google seems to be more competitive than I thought. My mate was telling me that Google was even considering making their own OS. This was about a year or two ago when he told me. But if Google did do that, they could do a lot of damage to Microsoft.

[Twelearly]

They haven't actually bought them yet, but are in the process of a hostile take-over.

There's nothing hostile about it. Yahoo can refuse the offer if they so choose.

[SobiquYo]

There's nothing hostile about it. Yahoo can refuse the offer if they so choose.

if they dont though the stock is gonna go down to probably 13-15$ a share....50% decline.

[yarita]

Don't really know why they'd offer that much for Yahoo when it's clearly never going to be better than Google, a guy on Bloomberg said earlier that MSN has roughly 10% of search market, Yahoo has 20%..so together they'd have 30% but Google still would have 70% and MS would be out $44bn, that's insane money.

I'm loving TrustedReviews updates on it:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/softwa...d-For-Yahoo/p1

[Voliscietle]

Don't really know why they'd offer that much for Yahoo when it's clearly never going to be better than Google, a guy on Bloomberg said earlier that MSN has roughly 10% of search market, Yahoo has 20%..so together they'd have 30% but Google still would have 70% and MS would be out $44bn, that's insane money.

I'm loving TrustedReviews updates on it:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/softwa...d-For-Yahoo/p1

I think they offer that much because they want to gobble Yahoo up before Google tries to.

[PaulRyansew]

Google doesn't need to buy Yahoo, they will kill it in the long run anyway. MS has too much money, hence they make stupid moves (companies should never keep too much money in the warchest for that reason).


It is SO obvious why people aren't using Yahoo and MSN (open and compare):

http://www.yahoo.com/

http://www.msn.com/

http://www.google.com/


I don't know what monkeys run MSN and Yahoo, but getting paid to miss something that simple is really embarassing.

[MattJargin]

Stop with the inaccurate headline. Microsoft did NOT buy out Yahoo. It was just a bid to buy. This is how misinformation starts because there will be people too lazy to click and read

[Uninkipsyncp]

They haven't actually bought them yet, but are in the process of a hostile take-over.

What makes you think this is hostile in any way?
Microsoft make a bid at 67% over the current Yahoo market price for shares.
Yahoo board can now either accept the offer or not.
Nothing hostile about it.

[errolurberozy]

What makes you think this is hostile in any way?
Microsoft make a bid at 67% over the current Yahoo market price for shares.
Yahoo board can now either accept the offer or not.
Nothing hostile about it.

If you dont understand what a hostile takeover is, maybe you should refrain from posting on this subject? [surrender]

[Qncvqpgfg]

What makes you think this is hostile in any way?
Microsoft make a bid at 67% over the current Yahoo market price for shares.
Yahoo board can now either accept the offer or not.
Nothing hostile about it.

lol wow. a hostile takeover doesn't mean they go in there with swords.

this is being referred to as a hostile takeover because it is an unsolicited bid for a company that turned microsoft down last year. yang could have turned the company around IMO, but this time i think microsoft gets what it wants.

but anyway, usually any unsolicited bid made in public is a hostile takeover.

[mirvokrug]

lol wow. a hostile takeover doesn't mean they go in there with swords.

this is being referred to as a hostile takeover because it is an unsolicited bid for a company that turned microsoft down last year. yang could have turned the company around IMO, but this time i think microsoft gets what it wants.

but anyway, usually any unsolicited bid made in public is a hostile takeover.

Yeah but as the BBC News article correctly states this offer was made in a letter to the board. So this is not an attempt at a hostile takeover at all and those of you who are trying to make Soofla look ill informed are making yourselves look foolish. By the way it's not being referred to as a hostile takeover at all. Not outside of a few posts on this board anyway.

[BokerokyBan]

It's a hostile takeover in the sense CNBC calls it a hostile takeover.

[Ubgvuncd]

A takeover is hostile when the acquirer make his intent to acquire public without informing the board of the target or when the acquirer pursues a takeover strategy (i.e. buying outstanding blocks or shares or buying large blocks of shares from current and institutional holders) against the wishes of the target.

Whether this proposed takeover is hostile is sort of up in the air. Microsoft did inform Yahoo!'s board of their intent, although they are pursuing this intent after having been previously turned down by Terry Semel, who is now gone.

Whatever the case may be, I think the price is too high. As a Microsoft shareholder, I am not sure I understand the long term value in buying Yahoo! and, more importantly, I do not understand the tremendous offered premium. Yahoo! might be an OK deal at $20 so buy it. Why offer $31? The current price of Yahoo! suggests that the market is highly suspicious of whether this takeover will actually happen, probably due to regulatory issues. There's a 15% spread between the current price of Yahoo! and the offer. That's quite large.

I'd have preferred a truly hostile takeover at lower prices.

[PapsEdisa]

Don't really know why they'd offer that much for Yahoo when it's clearly never going to be better than Google, a guy on Bloomberg said earlier that MSN has roughly 10% of search market, Yahoo has 20%..so together they'd have 30% but Google still would have 70% and MS would be out $44bn, that's insane money.

I'm loving TrustedReviews updates on it:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/softwa...d-For-Yahoo/p1

The thing is that they probably won't get 30% market share combined because they will lose customers to Google after the deal is sealed. Either MSN(most probable) or Yahoo will have to go because it would be economically stupid to run 2 search engines instead of just merging them.

[Ebjjrxrd]

A takeover is hostile when the acquirer make his intent to acquire public without informing the board of the target or when the acquirer pursues a takeover strategy (i.e. buying outstanding blocks or shares or buying large blocks of shares from current and institutional holders) against the wishes of the target.

Whether this proposed takeover is hostile is sort of up in the air.

It appears Microsoft will try to acquire Yahoo with or without the support of the board of directors: Microsoft’s Letter to Yahoo

Due to the importance of these discussions and the value represented by our proposal, we expect the Yahoo! Board to engage in a full review of our proposal. My leadership team and I would be happy to make ourselves available to meet with you and your Board at your earliest convenience. Depending on the nature of your response, Microsoft reserves the right to pursue all necessary steps to ensure that Yahoo!’s shareholders are provided with the opportunity to realize the value inherent in our proposal.


In my opinion the big winners from this merger will be Yahoo! shareholders, and quite possibly Google as well.