Will get cheque book out now
The
delightfully understated Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer said he was still
interested in cutting a search business partnership with Yahoo.
While
Microsoft walked away from negotiations with Yahoo chief executive Jerry Yang
last year, the appointment of a new CEO Carol Bartz has lead many to wonder
if the deal could be on again.
Ballmer said that there are
advantages for advertisers and consumers, for Microsoft and for Yahoo through
a search partnership, and we'd like to do one. Google dominates online
search with more than 60 per cent of the market. Yahoo has around 20
percent while Microsoft is a distant third with under 10 per cent.
It
is believed that if a deal could get off the drawing board, Google
could be given a run for its money.