Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 29, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
To expand its online business, Microsoft wants to buy rival Yahoo! for an original offer of just under 45 billion dollars (28 billion euros). The planned alliance is intended to break rival Google’s dominance in online search and Internet advertising. Yahoo! does not rule out a takeover, but considers the price too low. At the same time, the company is negotiating with possible other partners such as Google, the AOL online portal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Non-binding talks between Microsoft and Yahoo! so far have made no progress. Shortly before the deadline expired, Microsoft again ruled out increasing its offer. Such demands were based on «unrealistic expectations», said Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell. Wall Street largely expects Microsoft to succeed with the takeover, but possibly at a slightly higher price after all. It would be by far the most expensive acquisition yet in the history of the world’s largest software corporation.
