While we all stand by and anxiously watch the train wreck that is Yahoo, it looks to be more and more likely that the #1 singular Internet portal will take Microsoft's bid for $44.6 billion. Despite all appearances, however, perhaps Yahoo is seeking out an alternative to the unsolicited bid from Microsoft, which became the most important tech story in recent history, just two days ago. In what direction could Yahoo divert its current tracks?
In one day, the company lost Semel, and caused quite a stir when it finally commented on the bid offered by Microsoft. The weekend proceeded with additional remarks from Google, in regards to the potential monopoly a merger could cause, making it appear to be quite the expression of a personal vendetta against the trouble-causing Microsoft when Google itself was forced to deal with anti-trust issues for its (still pending) acquisition of Double-Click. Let's not forget that Yahoo still hasn't given a very solid response to Microsoft's bid.
There's a lot of questions still looming in the air. And when there are a lot of questions still looming, we writers, pundits and analysts have spent all weekend creating answers for ourselves, completely ignoring the fact that Bob Kraft's New England Patriots could very well be on the verge of making NFL history (I tried keeping track of the Super Bowl via Twitter, but Twitter, alas, is down. Go fig.).
So far, the pundits and analysts have come up with two prominent directions that Yahoo could take: find another buyer, or join forces with Google. Who would the other buyer be? Certainly not News Corp? Just as Microsoft has thrown out bids for Yahoo in the past, talks between Google and Yahoo have taken place in the past as well. According to Reuters, the discussions between Google and Yahoo have resurfaced. Talk about a love triangle.
Since Google is already having anti-trust issues, it's unlikely that Google will even think about trying to acquire Yahoo. But a super-infused team effort could enable Yahoo to get back on track, sustain itself as an independent entity, and achieve some of the same goals that an acquisition could provide, given a full-merger opportunity. Consider it the repayment of a favor from long ago, eh?