Google's Deadly Flirtation With Yahoo!

by: Ashkan Karbasfrooshan October 07, 2008 | about stocks: GOOG / MSFT / YHOO    
Ashkan Karbasfrooshan

Ashkan Karbasfrooshan

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Was Google’s (GOOG) flirtation with Yahoo! (YHOO) an effort to weaken it?

Yes.  I’ve always stated that as a pure-play web company, Google - and not MSFT - is Yahoo!’s main foe.

I’ve also outlined that Microsoft (MSFT) would be a better ally for YHOO than GOOG would, because MSFT would welcome YHOO’s web savvy whereas GOOG would not.

Of course, given YHOO CEO Jerry Yang’s disdain and dislike for MSFT, he killed a generous and rich $44.6B deal, which would have priced YHOO at $31/share.

Today, with YHOO at a paltry $15 per share (I unloaded my shares at $29/share), and the economy’s headwinds being stronger than ever, you don’t really need to ask if GOOG was sincere in its flirtations.

GOOG and YHOO would have never been allowed to hook up even in an anti-regulation environment led by President Bush or an administration run by John McCain, who is always on the side of less regulation, not more. But what with the financial markets diving and a desire to have some regulation in driving policy, you can bet your last penny (which is what many American consumers are left with these days, by the way), that this GOOG / YHOO deal was a mirage at best, and a ploy at worst by GOOG to fully drive the last nail in YHOO’s coffin.

That David Filo and Yang, or for that matter Sue Decker and company did not realize this is worrisome, and criminal.

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This article has 3 comments:

  •  
    Oct 07 09:35 AM
    YAHOO deliberately went to Google's arms to jilt Microsoft.
    Yes, this might not be the best deal from a consumer's point of view, but I dont think Yahoo was thinking about them.
    YHOO is a dead man walking... buy lots of puts on them.
    GOOG is a winner, regardless of how this turns out and is way too cheap here at $370. BUY BUY BUY.
    Reply | Link to Comment
  •  
    Oct 07 12:24 PM
    Yang kills Yahoo, and MSFT gets to be number two. And being number two in search is vastly better than being number three.


    Shame that Yang was so filled with bitterness he hurt shareholders , employees and Yahoo, just over his distaste for steve and bill.
    Reply | Link to Comment
  •  
    Nov 14 06:33 AM
    well, yahoo would be better off to merge with Metro. The worlds largest daily newspaper, which is a freely.
    Reply | Link to Comment
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