"Microsoft and Yahoo couldn't be reached for comment."

Pre-Market: 34.62 +6.44 (22.85%) – May 04, 07:59AM ET

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117827827757492168.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

(This WSJ entry is "Google News cloaking" – the full version is only visible when you access the URL from a Google News search – or you're subscribed --, at least from what I can tell...)

oops, I didn't notice that.

here's the direct-indirect link: http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&scoring=d&q=source:wall_street_journal+microsoft+yahoo

This is going to stir the cauldron as the saying goes!!

I don't think Shareholdes will ever ratify such a move

seems a day for big buy stratgies and news..is Reuter up fr sale now ?

"First Dow Jones, now Reuters. Financial media groups with a strong line in poison-pill defences may seem an odd choice of bid target."

[..]

"But there are other potential buyers, ranging from Reed Elsevier to Microsoft"

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/c3039fbc-fa37-11db-8bd0-000b5df10621.html

Oh shit! Two most evil web companies!
Google, I'll give up all my privacy for you. Just please, kill this monster!

:>

I'm kind of surprised at myself for thinking this, but I wouldn't mind it. To have two super-competitors means some damn cool innovations for the consumer. Sure there's already some pretty intense competition and new services are being offered by Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft, but it'd be a different story with Google vs. Yahoo/Microsoft.

"To have two super-competitors means some damn cool innovations for the consumer."

Actually, it means exactly the opposite. We'll have a web oligopoly.

if this rolls out, then the community is given two choices ..which of the lesser two evils will they chose ?

btw.. I still trust and route for Google Totaly!!

Niraj, I'm not sure Yahoo/Microsoft increases the level of innovation. More likely, more engineering time will be devoted to tying Yahoo and Microsoft services together to "lock in" users to their platform.

I'd much rather see Yahoo's Panama pay off, and have them keep investing independently to compete with Google.

We're all better served by a healthy and vibrant market of several (4, 6) large competitors instead of 2.

Why not Google and Yahoo? Why?!

Mambo – what would be the point? Google buying Yahoo makes no sense as they don't gain anything they don't already have – and spend $50Bil in the process. The Microsoft deal makes *some* sense because it gives Microsoft a major boost in the online world. Plus it makes the combined entity a more powerful challenger to Google in the online search / advertising field. Google's already 3 times bigger than either MS or Y! so there's little benefit to purchasing to consolidate their position.

That said, I still don't think it's a good move (particularly for Yahoo!).

Reto Meier , actually if this ever happens it will be a nitemare in the making.. remember that they have disparate levels of technologies at play. their development platforms are different, culture is different.. so eventually one will see that the cost of binding them together as one entity will be a technical challenge along with time..

needless to say this gives Google the opportunity to continue speeding down the innovations curve.. while MSFT/YHOO spend their resources /$$$ in consolidating their properties.

Its a win win for Google!!

Even MSFT/YHOO can win
all they need is simplicity in all there products like Google.

As seen in past with MSFT, I'm sure another company is going to get screwed up once MSFT buys it

/pd: Yes, totally win-win-win for Google. It diverts talk of Google becoming a monopoly, turns suspicion against Microsoft, boosts Google's market share (as advertisers who advertised on both Yahoo! and Microsoft lower their investment), and gives Google free reign to pursue other endeavours while Yahoo and Microsoft struggle to integrate.

That said, I don't think Yahoo will do it.

not happening. or so they say.
http://battellemedia.com/archives/003606.php

Quote from the WSJ source:

<<Microsoft and Yahoo in recent months discussed a possible merger of the two companies or some kind of match-up that would pair their respective strengths, say people familiar with the situation. But the merger discussions are no longer active, these people say. The two companies may still explore other ways of cooperating.>>

This would turn out as bad for MSFT and YHOO shareholders as the AOL-Timewarner deal. One company that doesn't get the Internet (MSFT) merging with another company that's on the way down because of losing the race to Google (YHOO) means one bad + one mediocre = one really bad.

Sometime in the future of http://lh3.google.com/image/xuanjames/RkDw-ApGmeI/AAAAAAAAAHE/z2wy_Aegj48/s800/Microhoo.JPG

the new, tweaked msn homepage is released

http://lh3.google.com/image/xuanjames/RkDw-ApGmfI/AAAAAAAAAHM/iIOjq-65udk/s800/yahoomsn.JPG

I know about the Google logo but I already did the Yahoo! one and I was using MS Paint so I was too tired. The pics above are just thumbs, please comment on them and see the full pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/xuanjames/GoogleStuff