There was lots of chatter this morning about the possibility that Microsoft is negotiating to buy Yahoo's search business. But the latest rumor is sure to set the internet ablaze with speculation--people are saying that after inking the deal with Yahoo, Microsoft will turn around and buy internet favorite Facebook.
"What a move this makes. Yahoo gets everyone off their back, Microsoft gets a credible position in search, and buys Facebook to compete with Google," Furrier.org writes. "The price about $45 billion."
Silicon Valley Rumor: Microsoft to Buy Yahoo Search and Then Facebook [Furrier.org]
Posted by Anal_yst , May 19, 2008 11:45AM
WTF? Has Balmer gone completely insane?
Posted by diablo , May 19, 2008 12:19PM
Raise your hand if you use Yahoo search.
Posted by guest , May 19, 2008 12:23PM
Any truth to the rumor MSFT is going to buy GE's appliance business so they can make all of our refrigerators, washers and dryers Windows based and crash them all the time?
Posted by guest , May 19, 2008 12:30PM
This is what happens when a company has more cash than it could ever hope to profitably invest. Time for another special dividend.
Posted by Anal_yst , May 19, 2008 12:59PM
@ 12:30
Bingo. Alas, it seems the powers that be @ MSFT are intent on forcing a negative npv investment, oy!
Posted by guest , May 19, 2008 1:10PM
Are you suggesting there aren't "synergies" between a MSFT/GE Appliance deal? Maybe a MSFT/Ford Motor deal (they could expand on Synch and make the whole car run on Windows). The Street doesn't make money directly from a special dividend but they do when some big giant hair brained deal gets done so let's think outside the box and figure out what MSFT should buy to expand Windows penetration (what else can we crash) and let fees rain down on the Street.
Posted by Anal_yst , May 19, 2008 1:32PM
Potential Accretive Targets:
1. GE Appliances
2. Ford
3. Sun (because 2 wrongs make a, uh, um...)
4. Citigroup (maybe MSFT could figure out how to fix the patchwork of systems/businesses/etc?)
5. Overstock.com (which, btw, why the F is this up 10% today?)
any others?
Posted by guest , May 19, 2008 3:08PM
Maybe they could buy DB and fix all the IT fuck ups.
Posted by Anal_yst , May 19, 2008 3:58PM
@ 3:08
you mean exacerbate, not fix, right?
Posted by blndebnker , May 19, 2008 5:00PM
I will be pissed if they fuck up Facebook. Pissed.
Posted by guest , May 20, 2008 11:18AM
What's really disturbing is that none of the merger suggestions offered by Dealbreaker's commentariat are anywhere near as half baked as what MSFT will eventually do for real.