Can Yahoo, Microsoft, Google, AOL And News Corp Sit Down And Just Divvy Up The Internet Already?

from the thanks dept

Wed, Apr 9th 2008 8:17pm — Mike Masnick

Well, well, well. So, apparently, the earlier news about Yahoo using Google ads was just the appetizer to the more meaty story, which is apparently... well... that just about all the big name internet players are going to do a bit of horse trading to figure out who owns who in the end. There seems to be a lot of speculating in the WSJ article, but apparently step one is that Yahoo and AOL might merge their internet properties (something that's been rumored before). That pairing would likely lead to Google taking over the ads (it already handles the ads for AOL and owns a stake of AOL). At the same time, the article reports that News Corp., once rumored to be a suitor of Yahoo until it vehemently denied the story, may actually be teaming up with Microsoft to make a joint bid for Yahoo. Who else did we leave out? Nobody?

Anyway, I stand my by original assessment of a potential AOL-Yahoo merger ("like trying to keep a wild animal from eating you by covering yourself with feces"), but honestly, this gathering of the big players should actually be seen as a huge opportunity for everyone else. Basically, the big boys are about to make a big mess, and there will be tremendous opportunities that spill out while they try to figure out what went wrong. People are just starting to realize that you don't innovate by building up huge mega-corporations -- you do it by being small and nimble. These megamergers are going in the wrong direction and will open up huge opportunities for small, quick firms that think big.

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Filed Under: big players, mergers, rumors
Companies: aol, google, microsoft, news corp, time warner, yahoo

19 Comments

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courtney benson, 9 Apr 2008 @ 8:44pm

While I generally would agree with you're assessment, there is just something about this that stinks. If it walks like a duck, smells like a duck, it's a duck.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2008 @ 9:15pm

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert

But it really seems a bit early to tell. The whole thing is a mess really.

And your assessment for some reason insinuates to me that Google isn't doing well in your eyes. Or at least that they could be doing much better.

Still trying to figure out where I'm getting that from, could just be carry over from the tone of the article I suppose.
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Nishi, 9 Apr 2008 @ 10:06pm

What?
So your saying Google is going to lose out on stuff whilst this deal is being negotiated? Not quite seeing how you figure this. Out of Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google. Google is the only one whos shares have gone up in $. Yahoo, well they were screwed anyway hence the first bid to buy them out was made from Microsoft. And now M$, after telling Yahoo that they had no other options but to sell to them are trying desperatly to fix their oversight. I hope Yahoo makes the deal with AOL + Google. M$ has to much power as it is.
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Mike (profile), 9 Apr 2008 @ 10:44pm

Re: What?
So your saying Google is going to lose out on stuff whilst this deal is being negotiated? Not quite seeing how you figure this. Out of Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google. Google is the only one whos shares have gone up in $. Yahoo, well they were screwed anyway hence the first bid to buy them out was made from Microsoft. And now M$, after telling Yahoo that they had no other options but to sell to them are trying desperatly to fix their oversight. I hope Yahoo makes the deal with AOL + Google. M$ has to much power as it is.

Of the group, Google is going to come out the best, no doubt about it. I'm not saying that Google is in trouble by any means. They're probably gleeful that this whole thing is happening. But Google has started stumbling in some areas lately, and focusing on a big new merged competitor may get them to continue to take their eye off the ball.

Certainly, Google is the most likely to come out of this clean.
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Iron Chef, 9 Apr 2008 @ 11:07pm

To all those that are smarter than me...
Hey Genius... Thinking big gets you in trouble if it lacks vision for the future. Where will everything be in 5, 10 or 15 years?

So how will the customer benefit? Unfortunately, Ray Ozzie wouldn't provide any concrete details. But a few past press releases, along with a new view of Intellectual Property, opening the books make it sound encouraging.

So what do you think?

Remember how AOL pulled Time Warner down? I would have thought they learned the first time.

I think the customer needs to hear from the new Chief Architect who is going to take Bill Gates' place in a few months.

If Microsoft comes out and says Ray Ozzie says "Hey, Here's what's up, and here's what we want to do, and here's how it benefits the customer", things won't seem so clear as mud.

Until then, It's just a series of news releases without the entire vision.
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Iron Chef, 9 Apr 2008 @ 11:13pm

Re: To all those that are smarter than me...
Vision without action is merely a dream.
Action without vision passes the time.
Action and vision can change the world.
- Joel Barker

But I think we're missing pieces...
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2008 @ 11:44pm

Re: Re: To all those that are smarter than me...
Your funny. There's no vision. Customer looses.

Next.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Apr 2008 @ 11:48pm

Re: What?
M$ has to much power as it is.

Yeah, that's just what we need too...

Yahoo do the big pass! PLEASE!! Work with Time Warner! Aaaagh!

--fire eagle user
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Iron Chef, 10 Apr 2008 @ 12:31am

Re: Re: What?
M$ has to much power as it is.
Yeah, that's just what we need too.

So ya, your right. The same holds true for Yahoo and Jerry Yang. What's he thinking? Yahoo is suddenly building an empire of advertising, development too.

I bet whoever cracks the egg first will win.

Recently, Yahoo said they would Overcome Google, create a website for the women demographic and to grow revenue to $8B by 2010.

This whole merger doesn't make sense.
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James (profile), 10 Apr 2008 @ 4:17am

thinking big...
The circle comes around.... These megamergers are going in the wrong direction and will open up huge opportunities for small, quick firms that think big. Google was one of those small companies that thought big. Now they are big and doing the same thing that happened to microflop. They dream of only getting bigger, without caring who the step on. 10 years down the road, we are going to have new players, new leaders, new innovation, but with it, new legislation to make it harder for the next generation thanks to the big players now.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Apr 2008 @ 5:08am

Re:
I'm not sure I understand your point. What do ducks have to do with the Internet?
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chris (profile), 10 Apr 2008 @ 5:14am

AOL + yahoo FTW
i think yahoo is doomed, and merging with aol is like trying to save your self from drowning by using a rock as a flotation device, but we will all win in the end because we will get to use the term "AOhoo?"
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Haywood, 10 Apr 2008 @ 5:44am

Aol = Idiot
Unless that perception can somehow be broken, I don't see how anyone could benefit from teaming with AOL. I mean this is really ingrained. I had a very tech savvy instructor admit to having an AOL address, and the entire class was in disbelief, she had some lame explanation, but her street cred was shot. I spoke to my younger brother concerning my older brother & made the statement that he was becoming quite the hacker. His reply; I don'no, his email is still @AOL.
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slimcat (profile), 10 Apr 2008 @ 7:24am

Big Mess
I have little to no business sense but News Corp. + Microsoft sounds like a perfect fit,n..
MSFOX motto -- "All fits of pleasure we balanced by an equal degree of pain." --Swift
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radiotinman, 10 Apr 2008 @ 9:17am

Kevin Kelley
Read Kevin Kelley's "10 Rules for the New Economy". Being "small and nimble" is the only way to keep succeeding in the new economy.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Apr 2008 @ 5:30pm

sadly a great deal of the commentary on this page has lost its credibility by the simple misuse of the words your and you're
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CV, 11 Apr 2008 @ 10:11pm

While innovation is key to the growth of the internet, pull back all the layers and it all boils down to advertising reach. A fragmented internet is not what advertisers want. Advertisers and publishers need this wave of consolidation where a large percentage of internet users are concentrated amoung a slect few mega web entities. Once this happens you will see a new wave of advertising activity pour on to the web and that in turn will spur further consolidations.
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Hugh, 12 Apr 2008 @ 8:37am

I'd like to be the first to...
bless this unholy union as... wait for it... YAHOL

maybe i'm not the first, but the name evokes the right image in my mind.
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LF, 12 Apr 2008 @ 11:05am

An audience to suit the writer
I see that this opinionated, ungrounded little piece of writing has catered an audience of opinionated people full of stereotypes, with a very poor grasp of grammar and spelling. Congratulations on this fine social experiment.
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