Consolidation in an over-valued industry is business and economics rolled into a “not when, but how” situation.
It’s not the first company Microsoft has acquired. Nor the last I suspect. This time it certainly does not matter how much they end up paying to complete the merger. Google’s Ad Sense management team isn’t sleeping very well after hearing this.
I was with Wang as they acquired two companies in succession before being bought by Getronics. The biggest problems there, as in most such acquisitions is consolidating duplicate functions and dealing with the human relations nightmares of layoffs, job shuffling and terminations.
I don’t see Microsoft having any problems with Yahoo other than the expected media barbs and criticisms.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer seemed very optomistic in an internal email to Microsoft employees. Bill Gates will be missed when he leaves Microsoft later this year, however make no mistake, SteveB makes the financial engine run.
No matter what anyone says this will change the SEO industry and give Google something to think more seriously about. Microsoft usually enters the field last and in 2-3 years and revisions the product becomes popular. That is their history from my viewpoint.
