Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz has had two months to settle into her purple-and-gold throne in Sunnyvale. She's sent some rah-rah notes to buck up the spirits of the Yahoos. And she's made some quick moves to restructure her leadership team.
Now, all she needs is a strategy to save Yahoo.
Fortunately, I have just what she needs: some friendly, unsolicited advice from your local business columnist.
Despite all you've read about Yahoo this past year, the company has some tremendous strengths and opportunities.
I was already a fan of the strategy that much-maligned founder and former Chief Executive Jerry Yang was pursuing. He wanted to turn Yahoo into an open, more social platform that would allow anyone to write applications to add new functions and services. This is a long-term strategy, but one that reflects the way the Web is evolving. Bartz should build on it.
Here are three steps for doing that:
1. Recognize what Yahoo is and is not. I have never really considered Yahoo to be a search company. But somehow, it let itself be defined as one, and so looked increasingly sluggish compared to Google.
2. Sell Yahoo search to Microsoft. CEO Steve Ballmer again threw the door wide open last week. During an interview with a BusinessWeek editor, he said he'd chatted with Bartz by phone about search and "sees a real opportunity for a deal."
3. Buy Twitter and FriendFeed. At first glance, such a suggestion might just cause users of both services to go, well, berserk. But hear me out.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Yahoo wins approval of the Agreement on Microsoft More Specials
Yahoo Inc. has received approval of a judge of a regulation imposing changes to the company starting that investors support the plan, it will be easier for Microsoft Corp. and other potential suitors to buy the owner of the second People of the United States, Internet search engine.
Judge of the Court of Chancery of Delaware William B. Chandler III said today he approved the agreement, which resolves on Yahoo investors trial leaders decided last year to reject Microsoft bid. Shareholders continued after the former CEO Jerry Yang rejected an offer from the largest software company. Microsoft has declined a final offer of as much as $ 33 per share, or $ 47.5 billion in June.
The regulation is "an extraordinary victory" for investors who seek to remove obstacles to an acquisition, "said Joel Friedlander, a lawyer for two pension funds in Detroit on Yahoo continued processing of the offer from Microsoft.
"We are very pleased that the settlement was approved because we believe it is in the best interests of the company and our shareholders," Kim Rubey, a spokeswoman for Yahoo, said in a statement e-mail.
Sunnyvale, California, Yahoo rose 52 cents, or 4.2 percent, to $ 13.05 in Nasdaq Stock Market trading.
Search Alliance Eyed
Yahoo said last month, the leaders, they are open to an alliance of research on the Internet with Microsoft to compete with industry leader Google Inc. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was reported February 24, it would be willing to work with Carol Bartz, the new CEO of Yahoo, to reach an agreement.
Bartz and Ballmer are under pressure to the land of their Internet search engines and online advertising businesses, which combined generated less than half of Google's revenue in the fourth quarter.
Ballmer said for the past several months and as recently repeated last week that he is no longer interested in buying all of Yahoo. Microsoft is interested in a type of Internet search agreement with Yahoo, he said.
Shareholders who are waiting today to modify the evolution of thought Ballmer will be disappointed, "said Brent Williams, analyst with Benchmark Co. in New York, the rate of Microsoft, who" hold ".
"Minor"
"I can not imagine that this would change the mind," he said. It is not even come close to fixing the major issues Microsoft is buying Yahoo. This has always been a minor issue. "
The day after the most recent comment Ballmer, Yahoo Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgenson said that his company was willing to look things. Yahoo has since announced Jorgenson will leave the company.
Google controls the Internet search market in the United States with 63 per cent of applications, according to ComScore Inc. Reston, Virginia. Yahoo Earnings fell in 10 of last 11 quarters.
Pension funds in Detroit in Delaware, argued that the combinations used Yang of Yahoo severance plan to thwart the Microsoft employees, providing incentives to quit rather than work for a buyer.
The plan, approved by the board of directors of Yahoo in the wake of the offer from Microsoft, has served as a "quasi-poison pill", the consulting firm Glass Lewis said investors Inc. A poison pill is a type of corporate-takeover defense.
The plan initially required that workers be paid if their jobs were eliminated or modified after a change of control of Yahoo. The company was said that the policy to retain employees. Investors have complained that Yahoo made it more expensive to acquire.
$ 1 billion starting
At a hearing in Georgetown, Delaware, today, Chandler Friedlander said that the plan would have forced Yahoo to pay more than $ 1 billion in severance if the Microsoft bid was accepted.
Friedlander also noted that officials have seen Microsoft Yahoo revised plan of the rupture that the creation of "bad words", the court unsealed documents in the case.
"The plan was an attempt by the gum of a takeover by Microsoft," he said. The agreement "is a search engine to deal more likely."
Under the settlement, Yahoo amends the plan to allow investors to launch proxy fights without triggering severance pay to employees, according to legal documents. He also changed the terms of the plan to make it more difficult for workers to claim benefits, if the company receives an offer.
Edward Welch, a lawyer in the case of Yahoo, Chandler said the company agreed to settle so that it can "move forward and conduct its affairs."
While he said he would approve the settlement today, Chandler said he Friedlander rule on the demand side of $ 12 million in legal fees and costs of the case.
The case is Police and Fire Retirement System of the City of Detroit v. Yahoo, CA3561, Delaware Chancery Court (Georgetown).
Judge of the Court of Chancery of Delaware William B. Chandler III said today he approved the agreement, which resolves on Yahoo investors trial leaders decided last year to reject Microsoft bid. Shareholders continued after the former CEO Jerry Yang rejected an offer from the largest software company. Microsoft has declined a final offer of as much as $ 33 per share, or $ 47.5 billion in June.
The regulation is "an extraordinary victory" for investors who seek to remove obstacles to an acquisition, "said Joel Friedlander, a lawyer for two pension funds in Detroit on Yahoo continued processing of the offer from Microsoft.
"We are very pleased that the settlement was approved because we believe it is in the best interests of the company and our shareholders," Kim Rubey, a spokeswoman for Yahoo, said in a statement e-mail.
Sunnyvale, California, Yahoo rose 52 cents, or 4.2 percent, to $ 13.05 in Nasdaq Stock Market trading.
Search Alliance Eyed
Yahoo said last month, the leaders, they are open to an alliance of research on the Internet with Microsoft to compete with industry leader Google Inc. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was reported February 24, it would be willing to work with Carol Bartz, the new CEO of Yahoo, to reach an agreement.
Bartz and Ballmer are under pressure to the land of their Internet search engines and online advertising businesses, which combined generated less than half of Google's revenue in the fourth quarter.
Ballmer said for the past several months and as recently repeated last week that he is no longer interested in buying all of Yahoo. Microsoft is interested in a type of Internet search agreement with Yahoo, he said.
Shareholders who are waiting today to modify the evolution of thought Ballmer will be disappointed, "said Brent Williams, analyst with Benchmark Co. in New York, the rate of Microsoft, who" hold ".
"Minor"
"I can not imagine that this would change the mind," he said. It is not even come close to fixing the major issues Microsoft is buying Yahoo. This has always been a minor issue. "
The day after the most recent comment Ballmer, Yahoo Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgenson said that his company was willing to look things. Yahoo has since announced Jorgenson will leave the company.
Google controls the Internet search market in the United States with 63 per cent of applications, according to ComScore Inc. Reston, Virginia. Yahoo Earnings fell in 10 of last 11 quarters.
Pension funds in Detroit in Delaware, argued that the combinations used Yang of Yahoo severance plan to thwart the Microsoft employees, providing incentives to quit rather than work for a buyer.
The plan, approved by the board of directors of Yahoo in the wake of the offer from Microsoft, has served as a "quasi-poison pill", the consulting firm Glass Lewis said investors Inc. A poison pill is a type of corporate-takeover defense.
The plan initially required that workers be paid if their jobs were eliminated or modified after a change of control of Yahoo. The company was said that the policy to retain employees. Investors have complained that Yahoo made it more expensive to acquire.
$ 1 billion starting
At a hearing in Georgetown, Delaware, today, Chandler Friedlander said that the plan would have forced Yahoo to pay more than $ 1 billion in severance if the Microsoft bid was accepted.
Friedlander also noted that officials have seen Microsoft Yahoo revised plan of the rupture that the creation of "bad words", the court unsealed documents in the case.
"The plan was an attempt by the gum of a takeover by Microsoft," he said. The agreement "is a search engine to deal more likely."
Under the settlement, Yahoo amends the plan to allow investors to launch proxy fights without triggering severance pay to employees, according to legal documents. He also changed the terms of the plan to make it more difficult for workers to claim benefits, if the company receives an offer.
Edward Welch, a lawyer in the case of Yahoo, Chandler said the company agreed to settle so that it can "move forward and conduct its affairs."
While he said he would approve the settlement today, Chandler said he Friedlander rule on the demand side of $ 12 million in legal fees and costs of the case.
The case is Police and Fire Retirement System of the City of Detroit v. Yahoo, CA3561, Delaware Chancery Court (Georgetown).
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Belgian court fines Yahoo over fraud non-cooperation
A Belgian court on Monday fined Internet search engine Yahoo! 55,000 euros (69,300 dollars) for failing to hand over personal details of users suspected of committing fraud.
Daily fines of 10,000 euros (12,590 dollars) were to be added for non-compliance.
In an enquiry into fraud carried out by people using pseudonyms in Yahoo! email addresses, the prosecutor had called on Yahoo to provide the true identity of the suspected cyber criminals.
California-based Yahoo! refused, arguing that it was a US company and therefore such information would have to be requested through US authorities.
"We strongly disagree with the court's ruling," Yahoo! said in a statement.
"The United States and Belgium have a formal international treaty which the prosecutor should have followed to properly seek information from a US company."
Yahoo! is basing its defense on a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between Belgium and the United States.
The treaty is intended to "improve the effectiveness of judicial assistance" by having designated authorities, usually respective justice departments, work out legal matters such as producing evidence across borders, according to the US Department of State website.
The public prosecutor responded that Yahoo! was also a Belgian company as its services are available in Belgium, stressing that there had never been such problems with American rivals Google and Microsoft.
The court in the northern town of Termonde imposed the 55,000 euro fine for "refusal to collaborate" with the judicial procedure, adding it would cost Yahoo! a further 10,000 euros per day in fines if it maintains its refusal to hand over the user data sought.
Yahoo! plans an immediate appeal based on the grounds the court does not have jurisdiction over the California firm's US operations and the prosecutor is dodging an international treaty crafted to deal with such cases.
The prosecutor in the Belgian criminal case skipped the MLAT legal process and had the court directly order Yahoo! to hand over private information sought as potential evidence, according to the Internet pioneer.
"Yahoo! is not withholding information from the Belgium government," the company said.
"We have a legal and policy basis for not disclosing information. We have raised this issue with the US government."
Yahoo! was denigrated by US lawmakers in 2007 for providing the Chinese government with email and other information that led to the imprisonment of two men that had advocated online for democracy in the Communist country.
Yahoo! settled a lawsuit filed against it by the Chinese men and their families in US federal court.
Daily fines of 10,000 euros (12,590 dollars) were to be added for non-compliance.
In an enquiry into fraud carried out by people using pseudonyms in Yahoo! email addresses, the prosecutor had called on Yahoo to provide the true identity of the suspected cyber criminals.
California-based Yahoo! refused, arguing that it was a US company and therefore such information would have to be requested through US authorities.
"We strongly disagree with the court's ruling," Yahoo! said in a statement.
"The United States and Belgium have a formal international treaty which the prosecutor should have followed to properly seek information from a US company."
Yahoo! is basing its defense on a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between Belgium and the United States.
The treaty is intended to "improve the effectiveness of judicial assistance" by having designated authorities, usually respective justice departments, work out legal matters such as producing evidence across borders, according to the US Department of State website.
The public prosecutor responded that Yahoo! was also a Belgian company as its services are available in Belgium, stressing that there had never been such problems with American rivals Google and Microsoft.
The court in the northern town of Termonde imposed the 55,000 euro fine for "refusal to collaborate" with the judicial procedure, adding it would cost Yahoo! a further 10,000 euros per day in fines if it maintains its refusal to hand over the user data sought.
Yahoo! plans an immediate appeal based on the grounds the court does not have jurisdiction over the California firm's US operations and the prosecutor is dodging an international treaty crafted to deal with such cases.
The prosecutor in the Belgian criminal case skipped the MLAT legal process and had the court directly order Yahoo! to hand over private information sought as potential evidence, according to the Internet pioneer.
"Yahoo! is not withholding information from the Belgium government," the company said.
"We have a legal and policy basis for not disclosing information. We have raised this issue with the US government."
Yahoo! was denigrated by US lawmakers in 2007 for providing the Chinese government with email and other information that led to the imprisonment of two men that had advocated online for democracy in the Communist country.
Yahoo! settled a lawsuit filed against it by the Chinese men and their families in US federal court.
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