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How Not to Do an Acquisition

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Ballmer

What do you do when sweet-talk doesn’t work in an acquisition? If you are Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, you issue an ultimatum.

The man famous for hopping like a lunatic on stage to motivate staff and partners fails to find new ways to motivate Yahoo execs to come to the table.

Two days after Yahoo reluctantly responded to the Microsoft ultimatum (“OK, we don’t like it but we are open to a deal, but not at the price you’re proposing…”), Yahoo will begin a limited test of Google Search service. This will deliver relevant Google ads alongside Yahoo!'s own search results and delivered another reason for the Microsoft.CEO to be hopping mad.

Now Microsoft is talking to News Corp. to create a mega-internet company combining Yahoo, Microsoft's MSN and News Corp.'s Web properties (MySpace and Fox Interactive.) Yahoo is still searching for other buyers, any other buyer, please a buyer…supposedly Time Warner is considering folding its AOL unit into Yahoo.

Go Ultimatum