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February 3, 2008 12:25 PM PST

Google calls Microsoft's 'hostile' bid for Yahoo troubling

Posted by Elinor Mills

A Microsoft-Yahoo merger could threaten the openness on which the Internet is based, a Google executive says.

Microsoft's $44.6 billion "hostile" bid "raises troubling questions," writes David Drummond, Google Chief Legal Officer, expresses cynicism in a blog posted on Sunday

"Could Microsoft now attempt to exert the same sort of inappropriate and illegal influence over the Internet that it did with the PC? While the Internet rewards competitive innovation, Microsoft has frequently sought to establish proprietary monopolies--and then leverage its dominance into new, adjacent markets," he writes. "Could the acquisition of Yahoo allow Microsoft--despite its legacy of serious legal and regulatory offenses--to extend unfair practices from browsers and operating systems to the Internet?"

Microsoft and Yahoo together have a large share of the e-mail and instant messaging accounts, as well as two of the most popular Web portals. Drummond wonders about the possibility that Microsoft could use its dominance in the PC software market to unfairly limit access to competitors' Web services.

Yahoo said on Saturday that it is evaluating the unsolicited bid.

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Add a Comment (Log in or register) 67 comments (Page 1 of 3)
yeah google is the underdog?
by vagarob February 3, 2008 1:07 PM PST
is this guy a joke? did this guy read anything about the google / doubleclick thing at all? does he not notice the entire groups of companies google is buying? whine whine whine thats all google does today.
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What gets dropped???
by dm66 February 3, 2008 1:25 PM PST
I find Yahoo's online offerings more usable than Microsoft's. So what happens next? Yahoo gets dropped or replaced with 'live' services? With MS track record on taking over companies and developing/innovating (Groove anyone?) then all this will do is drive more people to Google's services, not sure what they are complaining about...
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Google whines: Do as we say not as WE do
by kinowerken February 3, 2008 2:08 PM PST
Following its own move to create a monopoly position by buying Doubleclick, buying every advertising (say, AOL, MySpace) account that appears close to signing with Yahoo or MSN, etc. etc. we get this load of hypocritical crap from the Googleborg. Amusing. Can dish it out but can't take it?
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Google: MS deal is troubling..
by FutureGuy February 3, 2008 3:06 PM PST
...Google has the divine rights to own the internet, all your bases belong to only us.
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Google secretly eager for bid to succeed
by wi3zard February 3, 2008 6:38 PM PST
I bet Google is engaging in misdirection, that it really wants the takeover to succeed. It will weaken even Microsoft to spend that much money on the takeover and it will prove very difficult to effectively integrate the Yahoo and Microsoft search and ad efforts. I expect there are secret high-fives in the inner offices of Google.
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Microsoft drools for Yahoo.
by ServedUp February 3, 2008 8:34 PM PST
Google in the highest degree isn't worried about the merger between these two companies. But it is worried about the monopoly Microsoft already has in computer operating systems and the browser market. And rightfully so, Microsoft is a company that runs 90% of the world's computers. They also dominate the browser space at 75% of the world market. Couple this with the fact they plan on creating web development tools for the internet as a whole, surely that can pose somewhat of a serious threat. No? Surely this can be a cause for concern to Google, if not Adobe. Right? With a company that dominates most of the important categories in software for the PC. The question we have to answer here is ? why wouldn't they use this to their advantage? Certainly there are some serious consequential issues here for the law books, as laws are still being written for this kind of violation. But on their own, Yahoo & Microsoft already provide a competitive atmosphere to Google as separate companies. Why change this? Microsoft just doesn't own as much as they'd like, paralleled to that of a spoiled child. There really is no need for them to merge if only for greedy purposes ? that could likely prove damaging to the market. I for one have no trouble sleeping at night that I don't see a Microsoft search bar or service dominating my every internet move. Its best left to those who've pioneered this technology and not to those who've just bought it.
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Regarding Microsoft's Bids to Buy Yahoo
by krosavcheg February 3, 2008 8:58 PM PST
Steve Ballmer (Microsoft CEO) is presently under the influence of Neptune "negative" Jupiter. This influence governs the unrealistic, impractical, and shows no workable plan for success, the influence is purely emotional. This influence also shows a disregard for morals, ethics and values, which reflects the "take over" tactics of Microsoft as Yahoo begins layoffs and restructuring within. The chart of Steve Ballmer indicates that he is making a "big" mistake in timing and planning that will harm Microsoft.
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Regarding Microsoft's Bids to Buy Yahoo
by krosavcheg February 3, 2008 9:05 PM PST
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is presently under the influence of Neptune "negative" Jupiter. This influence governs the unrealistic, impractical, and shows no workable plan for success, the influence is purely emotional. This influence also shows a disregard for morals, ethics and values, which reflects the "take over" tactics of Microsoft as Yahoo begins layoffs and restructuring within. The chart of Steve Ballmer indicates that he is making a "big" mistake in timing and planning that will harm Microsoft.
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>>> Yahoo has no future without Microsoft >>>
by spacebatman February 4, 2008 5:56 AM PST
. Yahoo has no future without Microsoft or the fusion with another big web-company that company can't be Google, since a Google-Yahoo fusion has ZERO chances to have the antitrust approval so... Microsoft or die! ------------------------------- Gaetano Marano - Italy www.NewSpaceAgency.com .
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Control the internet? Oh puhleeeease.
by dtabraha February 4, 2008 10:41 AM PST
Seriously, Google is totally overestimating the importance of Yahoo, and underestimating the capabilities of the Internet to overcome limitations. If Google was really concerned about making the Internet more "open", they should start complaining about AOL. Oh wait, AOL isn't trying to steal their market in Search, so they probably don't care.
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