Mad in Seattle: Microsoft's Proxy Fight Is All Wrong

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  mbmattis@...02/20/08 Report as spam
  1

  I agree

  Completely.

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  hongell02/21/08 Report as spam
  2

  Mad Yahoos in Seattle

  I tend to agree with your outlook; however, it is almost shortsighted to think that Microsoft doesn't have a much grander plan or vision for their plans with the now turned hostile takeover of Yahoo. Your comments tend to support this as Microsoft operates in this manner. There is much talent within and interested in working with the company and this may have been the plan all along.
  
  If this is not the case, and I hope it is not, then Microsoft has much to learn. $44M lost for neglect or ignorance does not seem to be the case in my eyes, though. The most powerful in business have a history of misdeeds and lack of trust. We are seeing this now. I believe along these lines is what is happening with Microsoft and Yahoo.
  
  I do concur that the people at Yahoo are there becausue they want to be there and believe in what they are doing. This should be part of the mantra of every business. If Microsoft fails to see or heed this, they are either a failure or have another plan. I'd bet on the latter.

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  ptiseo02/21/08 Report as spam
  3

  RE: Mad in Seattle: Microsoft's Proxy Fight Is All Wrong

  What if Microsoft is not buying Yahoo because it *wants to*, but because it *has to*?
  
  All pundits are assuming that MS is attemtping to be strategic and/or proactive, like its just another acquisition albeit very large, but what if it being *reactive* to something else that has happened previous to their "chess move" to gun for Yahoo control? What if Yahoo, pre-MS' involvement, was contemplating closer ties to Google or some other MS competitor? Microsoft has also had major issues moving into SAAS, whereas Google is a run-away mindshare monster there.
  
  If that is the case, a move with "high collateral damage" is probably quite acceptable to them. The point isn't to buy Yahoo to get stronger, the point is to buy Yahoo to bury it to prevent someone else from getting stronger.

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  Ania Levy02/21/08 Report as spam
  4

  Strategies

  The pundits are correct, in my opinion. Microsoft does have a strategy. You
  put your finger on it when you wrote:
  "If that is the case, a move with "high collateral damage" is probably quite
  acceptable to them. The point isn't to buy Yahoo to get stronger, the point is
  to buy Yahoo to bury it to prevent someone else from getting stronger."
  
  You burn (or, in Microsoft's case, consume/acquire) what you don't want the
  enemy to have. It's an ancient military strategy - and quite effective. But this
  time around the strategy comes at a very high cost . . . . something will have
  to sustain the war effort . . . . get your calculators out and call up the non-
  Microsoft-affiliated licensing experts for help. You're going to need it. You
  can always GOOGLE me, or even find me on Yahoo!, but I'm sure Microsoft
  wouldn't allow that

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  pb2@...02/21/08 Report as spam
  5

  It's not just employees

  It's not just employees who may walk away, but users too, who are now quite
  happy with Yahoo, but feel some trepidation about what will happen once MS
  gets their hands on it. However, judging from the tenor of previous comments,
  what users want is about as far from relevance as could be. Ain't that a shame?

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  rspollino02/21/08 Report as spam
  6

  RE: Mad in Seattle: Microsoft's Proxy Fight Is All Wrong

  MS has taken over accounting software that I've used. My opinion, they usually change what does not need fixing.They've made it worse. Leave Yahoo alone, that includes the employees & its website.

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  OneGreyWolf02/21/08 Report as spam
  7

  RE: Mad in Seattle: Microsoft's Proxy Fight Is All Wrong

  Google and Yahoo built their empires on Open Source and the extreme flexibility that the Open Source community offers. Microsoft corporate environment does not support Open Source, irregardless of what their PR guys say. Every battle that Microsoft has had in the last five years with Open Source, it has lost. As an example, Microsoft bid for a government contract with Israel against RedHat Linux and lost terribly. Recent initiatives by Microsoft to force the Open Source community adopt its XML formatting standards where shut down. The cost of Vista has shuttered Microsoft's ability to improve its OS. The drums are beating and the impending death of Microsoft is imminent.

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  twanless@...02/21/08 Report as spam
  8

  Oh, come on...it's business

  As much as people want to ally emotionally on one side of this issue or the other, it has nothing to do with emotion. It's strictly business strategy.
  
  The world is moving online, particularly in terms of search and advertising, and software is moving inexorably to the rental model.
  
  Microsoft needs a platform in this space. It tried to build its own and failed, so it will just use its muscle to go out and buy one.
  
  It really has no choice: As the Google juggernaut grows, and redefines software and advertising, MS has to compete or be left in the dustbox of history as an "interim" technology.

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  damarlasatheesh02/21/08 Report as spam
  9

  RE: Mad in Seattle: Microsoft's Proxy Fight Is All Wrong

  No need to worry coz both of them know what they are doing and they a lot of intelligent advisors than us. so lets leave the rest to them so that they will decide what to do. eventhough we don't leave it to them they will do what they liked to do. so its a real time waste and it would be better if we concentrate on our own personal issues.

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  gmisch02/22/08 Report as spam
  10

  RE: Mad in Seattle: Microsoft's Proxy Fight Is All Wrong

  It will work out fine for Microsoft and Yahoo, but not for the Yahoo we know. Microsoft's business model is based on the fact that they have a built in money machine, independent of any higher risk ventures. It doesn't matter whether Yahoo loses every creative person onboard. There will be plenty of smart enough drones willing to go for the Mocrosoft benefits. If Yahoo cuts into Google, Microsoft will be happy; if Yahoo bombs, it's no big deal. Look at how long they've kept MSN going. They can afford to keep an inferior product on line , essentially forever, waiting for the competition to make a mistake. then they fill the void. See Wordperfect and Lotus 123.

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  bholstein02/22/08 Report as spam
  11

  Cynicism Runs Rampant

  Very revealing. Microsoft may want to buy Yahoo simply to deny it to anyone else. It's scorched earth warfare. Burn the fields of crops so that no one eats them.
  The other intriguing, and cynical, angle is that Microsoft might want to buy Yahoo and its open source ways to stop Linux, or at least slow it down. It's a huge price to pay, but if Microsoft is worried about Linux ultimately destroying its monopoly, maybe it makes sense. Thanks for your comments. Bill Holstein

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  ptiseo02/22/08 Report as spam
  12

  More Cynicism

  Another cynical angle: MS has no real intention of buying. It was likely enough to simply announce they will attempt a hostile takeover to get all the quality, and "non-aligned", talent to start jumping ship. Yahoo is probably already partially hollowed out.
  
  Retract offer.
  
  Watch Yahoo wither on vine.
  
  Become no.2 in market.

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  dipolash4@...02/22/08 Report as spam
  13

  RE: Mad in Seattle: Microsoft's Proxy Fight Is All Wrong

  Microsoft microsoft.. not again. I know one thing though they can't bully yahoo into the take over. Oil and water dont mix.. and definately open source and what I like to call CLOSED source will never mix!!!... But again thats just my view.
  
  Oladipo Olasemo
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  Synkron Solutions Limited
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