My column in Marketwatch discusses the machinations going on at Yahoo. A CFO friend of mine wrote me the following note:
Decker is ex Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, M&A. She’s getting OJT to be CEO. But given the I bank background, I hear merger tom-toms, and she’s had the experience there. Rosensweig probably couldn’t stand the new direction.
So I began to think who this might be? The obvious possibilities are C-net, AOL and Alibaba. Any other ideas from the readers would be welcome. For an in-depth discussion I posted this in the Cage Match Forums here. I reckon that once discussed the truth will emerge on its own.
Gahoogle!
Microsoft.
Apple: They currently don’t do what Yahoo! does, and adding the company would mean instant content for the iPhone.
Anyone else is either trying to eliminate competition (Google), replace their already crappy online software (Microsoft), or desperate for business (AOL).
Sony
I think sony has bigger problems…..
Plus you cant really add a blu-ray diode to the thing.
Come to think of it, maybe Sun will buy it and port it to run on red..er sun hat linux.
i thought SBC just bought out Yahoo…
No comments??? I like you all so much I will visit you personally…
I also vote Apple.
Whether they’re smart enough to do it or not is a seperate question (see their total pass on Skype – on VoIP in general so far – as an example IMO).
The possibilities for a company like Apple to leverage a profitable, ad supported, online portal like Yahoo are literally endless. Microsoft might buy it to eliminate a competitor (and maybe try to learn how to get their own online portal/search offerings to be more appealing). But Apple could in one fell swoop aquire capability and market possibities that woud take 5-10 years to build out to an equivilent level on their own.
It would cost a lot, but Apple is sitting on an immense mound of cash right now. I think it would be worth it more for that company than any other.