It looks as if Microsoft wants a seat at the negotiating table if Yahoo decides to sell part or all of its business.
To gain better access, Microsoft Corp. has signed a non-disclosure agreement with Yahoo Inc., according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke on Wednesday on the condition of anonymity because the agreement hasn’t been formally announced.
The DealReporter and The New York Times earlier reported the arrangement between Microsoft and Yahoo.
Yahoo’s board has been mulling the company’s options since firing CEO Carol Bartz in early September. The alternatives include selling Yahoo’s Asian assets, such as the Alibaba Group in China, and auctioning off the company in its entirety instead of hiring a new CEO. Tim Morse, Yahoo’s chief financial officer, has been interim CEO since Bartz’s ouster.
The DealReporter said that Yahoo’s board is scheduled to meet next week to discuss its next step.
Microsoft unsuccessfully tried to buy Yahoo in 2008 for as much as US$47.5 billion before walking away in frustration. Yahoo’s stock is worth less than half of Microsoft’s last offer of $33 per share.
Yahoo shares fell three cents Wednesday to close at $14.94. Microsoft’s stock price dropped 32 cents to close at $24.47.
The New York Times reported that Microsoft is primarily interested in protecting its internet search advertising alliance with Yahoo if its partner pursues a sale or a dramatic reorganization. Microsoft currently provides most of the search technology on Yahoo’s website in return for 12 per cent of the ad revenue generated from the results.
