[Search-l] NYTimes.com: Eyes on Google, Microsoft Bids $44 Billion for Yahoo

[Jimmy Wales]

John McCormac wrote:
> It certainly makes the attempt to gain search marketshare a bit harder. 
> Microsoft management and Yahoo search technology and expertise will be 
> quite a threat to Google and others.

Hmm, I would argue the opposite.  I am not yet convinced that the merger 
has any very interesting synergies to make the combination any more 
interesting than the separate pieces were.

> Given Yahoo's concentration on the social web, the product of this 
> merger could be quite an opponent for any new search engine venture, 
> especially ones that involve a social element. It would also have 
> something that a lot of new ventures have to struggle to attain - users.

Yes, the existing user base of Yahoo / Microsoft is large, but it is no 
larger after the merger than before.

I think that the tie-up may be a boon for smaller competitors, as 
consumers seek out alternatives.

--Jimbo