Danny and I had an opportunity to talk with Microsoft SVP Yusuf Mehdi and Yahoo EVP Hilary Schneider earlier this morning. Both were instrumental in the deal and will be deeply involved going forward. They characterized the parties’ search integration as a long-term partnership, which implies ongoing cooperation and a high degree of collaboration. We […]
There are several reports tonight that Yahoo and Microsoft are close to consummating a search and advertising deal. 24/7 Wall Street cites an investment banker who says a deal is “imminent.” All Things Digital says an agreement is “down to the short strokes,” but also points out that the companies have been down this road […]
The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that Google is negotiating with ISPs for “a fast lane for its own content” and is backing away from net neutrality. However, Google vigorously disputes this characterization and explains that instead it is seeking to “‘colocate” caching servers within broadband providers’ own facilities,” which has the practical effect […]
The rumor becomes reality. Microsoft has named Dr. Qi Lu, formerly of Yahoo, to run its Online Services Group. And Brian McAndrews, as AllThingsD highlights, is leaving Microsoft. More details in the release below:
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
AllThingsD and paidContent.org are both reporting on staffing changes at MSN. AllThingsD calls it a case of “musical chairs,” and that seems pretty accurate based on a memo sent out by Greg Nelson of the Global Media Group. Nelson himself is now under Satya Nadella, Senior VP of Search, and Erik Jorgensen, Corporate VP of […]
With Microsoft’s current advertising campaign still leaving many people shaking their heads in wonder, TechCrunch has an idea: follow the lead of Ask.com. Jason Kincaid confesses that Ask’s ad — the one that shows a young woman “exercising” (ahem) on a stripper pole in her house — actually made him curious enough to click through […]
Yahoo has had a morale problem for some time, according to anecdotal reports from company insiders. Jerry Yang and other executives at the company have been trying urgently to fix that and restore the company’s former, dare I say it, esprit de corps. I had been told by one Yahoo engineer informally last week that […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
We’ve already covered separately big developments in news about Microsoft’s bid to purchase Yahoo. But wait, there’s more! Below, a recap of our stories plus other stories on the subject across the web that cover various angles, including the news that for the first time in its history, Microsoft may borrow money in order to […]
Last Friday, shortly after the Microsoft bid for Yahoo was made public, Danny and I had an opportunity to discuss the proposed acquisition with Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of strategic partnerships for Microsoft. Our questions to Mehdi often returned to post-acquisition “integration” issues. I brought up local, maps, and mobile as areas where both […]
Greg Sterling and I have just finished a short Q&A with Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of strategic partnerships, about his company’s bid to acquire Yahoo. How does Microsoft plan to integrate Yahoo, if its proposal wins? The plan right now is one more about how the two companies will coordinate to figure out […]
Microsoft has officially completed the acquisition of aQuantive Inc., which includes agency Avenue A | Razorfish and the Atlas ad-serving platform. The acquisition was the largest in Microsoft’s history, valued at roughly $6 billion. The company has also simultaneously created a new group that it’s calling the “Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group.”
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web:
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) ran an article quoting Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi, who made the following statements at a Goldman Sachs Internet conference: “Yahoo has a great business. Kudos to them, but we’re bigger globally. We have half a billion people . . . I still don’t think it’s the end of inning one. […]