Report: Google holds meeting on revived Microsoft-Yahoo deal

by Linda Rosencrance

May 20, 2008 —

Executives of Google
Inc. held an emergency meeting last night to discuss the implications of
revived talks between Microsoft
Corp. and Yahoo
Inc., according to a report
in The Times in the U.K.

Over the weekend, Microsoft said
it might be interested in buying part of Yahoo, but not all of it.

For the past month or so, Google has been in talks
with Yahoo to extend a two-week test whereby Yahoo would deliver Web advertising
from Google alongside its own search results. According to various reports,
that deal could be solidified this week.

Google and Yahoo could not be reached for comment at deadline. Microsoft declined
comment

Speaking at the Google Zeitgeist conference in Hertfordshire, which was hosted
by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey
Brin, the company CEO Eric Schmidt said, "After this press conference,
the three of us will meet and decide what our response is," according to
The Times.

The renewed talks between Microsoft and Yahoo come as billionaire investor
Carl
Icahn gears up to launch a
proxy fight to replace Yahoo's board of directors. Icahn and other investors
are angry that Yahoo snubbed Microsoft's initial offer to purchase the company
for US$44.6 billion.

In addition, according to The Times, Brin said Monday that he would give Yahoo's
CEO, Jerry Yang, "refuge within Google" if he were forced out of the
company. Brin also said Google had not yet ruled out a deal with Yahoo, The
Times said.

Computerworld