Microsoft + Yahoo = Interesting Possibilities

This morning one of the first pieces of news that I saw was that Microsoft was looking to expand it’s empire by offering almost $45 billion to buy Yahoo.

My first reaction was that I wondered if Google would make a counter offer and then I got thinking about what might happen to services I love like Upcoming and Flickr that are both owned by Yahoo?

I also got thinking about the forth coming Microsoft Office Live (or whatever it is being called) that is a web based version of MS Office. It would be pretty damn cool to schedule a calendar item and one click create an Upcoming listing for it. Being able to quickly search and embed a Flickr image right into an e-mail or PowerPoint presentation would be slick as well. The integration touch points could be pretty damn powerful if it was done right.

I don’t have the time to formulate full thoughts on this, but it certainly has given me enough brain candy to chew on for the day. Lots of good. Plenty of evil. Who knows which way it will go and if it will go at all.

I just wonder if any of it will work on my Mac. *laugh*

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This entry was posted on Friday, February 1st, 2008 at 12:43 pm and is filed under Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

  • CC,
    I'm not sure if it's true or not, but I read this post on TechCrunch http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/02/01/what-would... that Google can't bid on Yahoo b/c of anti-trust issues. Just FYI!
    Melissa
  • Tim
    Consider the fact that Microsoft has also invested in Facebook and I think it could get even more interesting.
  • You make some good points about integration there, CC. I never really thought of it like that.

    Although, I'd rather tools like Google Docs/gMail/gCal integrate with Flickr/Upcoming.

    If Yahoo! does accept, I hope they don't get rid of Y!Mail, and make us use that hopeless Windows Live Mail. I like having 3 different e-mail services - each for different uses.
  • CC....

    Microsoft + Yahoo = Monopoly

    At first glance it sounds great... unless you really don't want the entire software and web development community forced to dance to the tune of Steve Balmer.

    Actually if they buy Yahoo I think it will drive more people into Google so maybe it's a good thing.

    Acutally if MicroSoft wrote decent open software you would be able to integrate PowerPoint at this stage anyway. Of course Facebook and Flickr can do this because they have an API that is fairly open.

    Not to mention that innovation is not the strong suit of MicroSoft. So it would stagnate under their regime in my opinion.

    The biggest factor for me, is that I don't want everything I own in the tech world to be made or controlled by a company that is infamous for dominating entire market segments through sheer force of will and large bank accounts.

    I can't begin to tell you the number of companies who were taken over, bought out or marginalized by MicroSoft adding their functionality into the Windoze application.

    Here is the driving force behind the company today... Kinda of scary if you ask me....

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6tghMZCcMU

    Grins, Dell
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