04-25-2006, 06:35 PM
Nothing new about that scenario. That's the way most big bizzez do things to keep each other solvent and not wast the $ competing hard against each other. Instead of anti-trust price-fixing, it's anti-trust territory-fixing.
Quote:Microsoft is not plotting against Google with eBay, Microsoft's chief executive told a German newspaper, but he said he did often talk with his counterpart at eBay about working together.
"Of course we talk with eBay all the time," Steve Ballmer told Germany's Die Welt in an interview published Friday. "But we don't get together in a secret circle and hatch plans about what we could do together against Google." ...
Ballmer said: "A tie-up with the sole aim of shutting out a competitor makes no sense. The partnership must produce something that is useful for users and advertisers."...
Quote:A tie-up with the sole aim of shutting out a competitor makes no sense.
The partnership must produce something that is useful for users and advertisers.
Quote: engaging in anti trust activities
Quote:Unlike traditional markets, in this age of the Internet and
in a very short time, a viable rival competitor can take down a dominant
leader
Quote: Let's say at the same time they launch a vigorous registration campaign
to attract vendors
Quote:Speculation is rife on Wall Street that a big internet deal or alliance is in the works, with eBay, Google, Microsoft or Yahoo! as possible partner - and a Yahoo!-eBay partnership seen as most likely.
A report authored by analyst Imran Khan and the JPMorgan Chase internet team said on Monday: "A partnership or merger between eBay and Yahoo! is the most strategically feasible.
"A combined company would have the leading position in auctions, communications, payments, graphical advertising, audience reach and geographic breadth."
Silicon Valley insiders, high-tech bankers and financial analysts are giving new credence to potential merger deals...
Quote:The obvious merger target is eBay. eBay is a major rock of the internet economy, but has been desperate (and failing) to expand into other areas. eBay's foolish purchase of Skype underscores how badly this company wants to win, but has very little chance.
All Skype really does is make eBay more attractive to potential partners. If Microsoft or Yahoo took eBay, they'd instantly be cemented as #1 in net traffic, as well as gaining the most popular VoIP network for their IM software...
Quote:For several weeks Microsoft has been in discussions about a possible acquisition of online auctioneer eBay, The Post has learned.
According to multiple sources close to the matter, Microsoft has considered buying eBay and merging it with its MSN portal - a deal that would give MSN and eBay considerable clout to take on Google.
Sources indicate that the talks, while still active, have cooled somewhat in the last two weeks as executives considered antitrust issues...
One source close to the matter suggested the Yahoo-eBay tie-up would not stop Microsoft from pursuing the online auctioneer...