Yahoo, eBAY, Microsoft, AOL
Once again, the media is calling for big acquisitions. This time, Merrill Lynch Analyst Justin Post says that Microsoft should acquire Yahoo. On the other hand, there is also speculation about Yahoo buying AOL from Time Warner. John Battelle doesn’t like this option.
I said, a year back, that Yahoo and eBAY should merge. Since then, both have gone through hiccups, and right now, eBAY is looking up a bit, and gearing up for a good holiday season, while Yahoo is choking.
I think, the biggest problem with a Yahoo-Microsoft merger is a culture clash that will be unsurmountable. That said, HP-Compaq had also looked like an incompatible marriage, but has kind of worked.
I don’t see what Yahoo buying AOL achieves.
My vote, at this point, would be for Yahoo to try to reenergize itself organically, may be with strategic and organizational surgeries that seem to be long over-due.
