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Yahoo: Icahn's Slate is Not the Right Answer


And Microsoft's full of it. . .

Yahoo's annual shareholder meeting in August should be a fiery one. The company filed a presentation today imploring stockholders to support Yahoo's Board of Director nominees. As has been the pattern for communication between Yahoo executives and Carl Icahn, the presentation is blunt and clear in how CEO Jerry Yang and company feel about Icahn's proposals.

They might as well have written, "Tell Carl to eff off, will ya?"

Yahoo's plea also takes on the tone that Icahn's plan lacks heart and faith in Yahoo's ideals and future; Ichan's desired coup is based solely on selling off the company, his historical MO, to Microsoft, which has been, at best flirtatious, and at worst self-serving.

Microsoft's latest proposal included buying up only Yahoo's search property, rather than a full acquisition, a proposal Yang and Yahoo executives feel isn't beneficial to Yahoo in any way. Yahoo plans to leverage Google's help in the eventual convergence of search and display advertising.

That's interesting in light of recent theories.

"Despite all the challenges we've been through," said Yang, "including Microsoft's unsolicited proposal and now a proxy contest by Carl Icahn, Yahoo! remains a unique value proposition. Our ubiquitous brand name, top-ranked online properties and deep talent pool have enabled us to continue to drive our 'starting points' and 'must buy' strategies. The combination of our leading positions in search and display together with the benefits expected from our recently-signed agreement with Google make us exceptionally well-positioned to capitalize on the convergence of search and display."

The presentation emphasizes how often Microsoft has withdrawn or changed its interest. "Microsoft unequivocally stated that it had no intention of making a full company acquisition and clarified on June 8 that it would not do so even at the price range it had previously suggested."

Despite that, Yahoo had shown a willingness to deal with Microsoft, but the Beast of Redmond had failed to pick up the phone, causing Yahoo executives to doubt Microsoft's sincerity. Microsoft's proposal to create a hybrid search property "makes no sense for the Company, financially or strategically."

Microsoft's proposal meant no change in cash flow, and would have left Yahoo dependent on Microsoft to monetize search results and compete with Google, which Microsoft has not shown an ability to do. That last one was a pretty hard shot, and followed Yahoo's belief that Microsoft's estimates for Yahoo's cost savings were "unrealistic."

The agreement with Google, by contrast, is expected to generate up to $450 million in cash flow for Yahoo while providing the company with the flexibility to innovate in search or deal with Microsoft again in the future—you know, if Microsoft ever gets its stuff together and makes a reasonable offer.

Yahoo called Icahn's plan, then, to sell to Microsoft "ill-defined," especially since Microsoft has pussyfooted around so much. Icahn's demands, the company argues, are either "moot or would jeopardize the Company's ability to execute on its strategic plan."
 





 

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About the author:
Jason Lee Miller is a WebProNews editor and writer covering business and technology.

Comments

Yahoo! Sale to Microsoft =

Yahoo! Sale to Microsoft = NO
Yahoo! Google Search Partner = NO
Yahoo! Competent Management = NO
Yahoo! well positioned for success = YES

Jerry Yang and the current team do need to be replaced, the Google deal is an example of why. Currently Yahoo lacks competent management. Jerry Yang did not provide the needed leadership and has made Yahoo look like a ship drifting aimlessly in a storm. No to Microsoft was the right answer, but after the “NO” he allowed confusion and doubt set in and did not provide direction.

Currently we are in an unprecedented historical media revolution as TV and Internet combine and Yahoo is in a prime position to take advantage of that but needs the right visionary leadership to provide direction. Google has mistakenly already placed its bet on user generated content and the YouTube business model. Surly YouTube is neither the prime video media business model of the future nor the best market position to have in the on going media revolution. The market remains wide open for now and Yahoo could play a major roll in the future. 

The search game is not over, no one would agree that Google’s search is the best search can be - everyone knows the current state of search technology is lacking. Currently Yahoo maybe behind Google in this area but has the resources to compete rather than giving up before the race is over.

With the right management Yahoo shares could become as valuable as Microsoft or Google but at a minimum archive a valuation many times the current low but it requires confident visionary leadership with a plan and meaningful execution.

Microsoft could see a weakness and attempted to exploit it and Google, an opportunist attempted to do about the same. Yahoo management should never have aloud these things escalate and as a consequence have not been focused on Yahoo’s core business and have not been focused on building business and share holder value; they have no meaningful business plan.

Microsoft would shred Yahoo into bits, and take the prime parts to become part of Microsoft we all know too well; this is in essence the death of Yahoo. Google likewise would be delighted to rip out Yahoos heart and leave the corpse.

Currently Yahoo management now looks like clueless children trying to play hardball with the big kids but they fell down and got hurt. Icahn maybe a better option; although he may lack foresight about what Yahoo could be; at least he knows how to play hard ball with the big kids. Selling of to Microsoft is a mistake.        

 

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