Microsoft gives Yahoo 3 weeks to finalize the deal to acquire Yahoo.

April 5, 2008
Board of Directors
Yahoo! Inc.
701 First Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94089

Dear Members of the Board:

It has now been more than two months since we made our proposal to acquire Yahoo! at a 62% premium to its closing price on January 31, 2008, the day prior to our announcement. Our goal in making such a generous offer was to create the basis for a speedy and ultimately friendly transaction. Despite this, the pace of the last two months has been anything but speedy.

While there has been some limited interaction between management of our two companies, there has been no meaningful negotiation to conclude an agreement. We understand that you have been meeting to consider and assess your alternatives, including alternative transactions with others in the industry, but we’ve seen no indication that you have authorized Yahoo! management to negotiate with Microsoft. This is despite the fact that our proposal is the only alternative put forward that offers your shareholders full and fair value for their shares, gives every shareholder a vote on the future of the company, and enhances choice for content creators, advertisers, and consumers.

During these two months of inactivity, the Internet has continued to march on, while the public equity markets and overall economic conditions have weakened considerably, both in general and for other Internet-focused companies in particular. At the same time, public indicators suggest that Yahoo!’s search and page view shares have declined. Finally, you have adopted new plans at the company that have made any change of control more costly.

By any fair measure, the large premium we offered in January is even more significant today. We believe that the majority of your shareholders share this assessment, even after reviewing your public disclosures relating to your future prospects.

Given these developments, we believe now is the time for our respective companies to authorize teams to sit down and negotiate a definitive agreement on a combination of our companies that will deliver superior value to our respective shareholders, creating a more efficient and competitive company that will provide greater value and service to our customers. If we have not concluded an agreement within the next three weeks, we will be compelled to take our case directly to your shareholders, including the initiation of a proxy contest to elect an alternative slate of directors for the Yahoo! board. The substantial premium reflected in our initial proposal anticipated a friendly transaction with you. If we are forced to take an offer directly to your shareholders, that action will have an undesirable impact on the value of your company from our perspective which will be reflected in the terms of our proposal.

It is unfortunate that by choosing not to enter into substantive negotiations with us, you have failed to give due consideration to a transaction that has tremendous benefits for Yahoo!’s shareholders and employees. We think it is critically important not to let this window of opportunity pass.

Sincerely,

Steven A. Ballmer
Chief Executive Office
Microsoft Corp.



Read more about it here.
http://www.thegermz.com/my-ramblings/war-of-the-words

 

I love a good slap fight. Microsoft seems intent on having their way no matter what.

 

Didn't they do the same thing with netscape?

 

The pressure is on! Will Yahoo fold?

 

Yes they will. The question would be would Micosoft stay firm of offering only the $31 per share. Or would they offer a few dollars more. Do you think Yahoo can get them to buy at $35 what do you think?

 

Well Google is the monopoly with 90% of the market....microsoft has what 5%.....microsoft aint the bully here.

 

No, I think Yahoo has sort of pissed off Microsoft by contacting everyone else available, and even considering a partnership with Google. Plus, Microsoft knows that it's overpaying already. Yahoo has nothing significant in technology and innovation that Microsoft can't emulate. Finally, Microsoft has Yahoo backed in a corner. If they don't sell out, their shares will crash to $15, maybe even $10.

 

Yahoo is declining and $31 is a good deal for them

 

Yahoo wants more than $31 a share. They say MSN offer is too low

 

Does anyone know how this buyout is going to affect the end users?

 

Agreed, this is the fact now.
It is a very difficult decision for yahoo as wondered!.

An unchanged pattern is that more paid services providers imply more low price competition between the competiters.
Price maybe go lower for consumers/advertisrs as they will have more choices to choose or buy the ads slots;


on the other side, the ads companies may pay more to absorb more publishers/webmasters to join them.

So both advertisers and web owners may be benefitial at the end.I vote for more competitors than a big one.

This is only from the view of our profits and for your reference only!!!


<>mattcch200<> April 2008

 

Microsoft is so sweet, I loved that letter. I would poop on my self if I was yahoo after reading that.

 

Why is google not put in trial for monopoly?

 

Well, I think yahoo isn't doing anything good anyway, maybe Microsoft will improve it, maybe not...

 

Yahoo is a lot of good stuff going on but they have no momentum

 

Now its called power show of a Gaint

 

Well MS could do no worst to running Yahoo and their publishers network.
YPN is not getting better...
So I am all for it hope they wake up and smell the ...money

 

It'll never happen

 

your facts are screwed. Its more like 60%.

 

This is going to be very interesting.... Their cultures are very different and a merger of this magnitude may end up like the Time/Warner - AOL merger.