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Yahoo! and the future of the Internet — The openness of the Internet is what made Google — and Yahoo! — possible. A good idea that users find useful spreads quickly. Businesses can be created around the idea. Users benefit from constant innovation. It's what makes the Internet such an exciting place.
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Statement from Brad Smith, General Counsel, Microsoft — The combination of Microsoft and Yahoo! will create a more competitive marketplace by establishing a compelling number two competitor for Internet search and online advertising. The alternative scenarios only lead to less competition on the Internet.

Google launches its 'let's annoy Microsoft' plan: Pings Yahoo and works regulators — Google has reportedly reached out to Yahoo to thwart Microsoft's unsolicited $44.6 billion bid. And in case that doesn't work Google has already started working policymakers. — Simply put, the games have begun (Techmeme).

Goliath's slingshot — When Google adopted “don't be evil” …
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Google Reaches Out to Yahoo — Google Inc. Chief Executive Eric Schmidt called Yahoo Inc. CEO Jerry Yang to offer his company's help in any effort to thwart Microsoft Corp.'s unsolicited $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo, say people familiar with the matter. — The approach Friday from Google …
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Yahoo may consider Google alliance, source says — SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc would consider a business alliance with Google Inc as one way to rebuff a $44.6 billion takeover proposal by Microsoft, a source familiar with Yahoo's strategy said on Sunday.


No Super Bowl For Yahoo: Top Brass Weigh Their Limited Options — So apparently the Yahoo brass didn't take Microsoft's public offer to buy them as well as could be expected (hey, at least their shareholders finally got a break - the stock jumped nearly 1/3 on Friday).

Why Yahoo should say Yes to MicroSoft — One thing about Jerry Yang that I always have admired is that he cares. He cares about his employees. He cares about his products. He cares about his shareholders. Most of all he cares about building a world class company that can be great at what it does.
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Industry Standard relaunches — as a predictions market — After much suspense, media conglomerate IDG has relaunched its brand Industry Standard. — This time, Industry Standard is a site that lets you predict the outcome of future events. It lets you bet points, and award you prizes for doing well.
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The Industry Standard returns — The Industry Standard is back after a seven-year hiatus. The publication returns as a prediction market and blog platform in an expanded beta on Monday. — As noted in October, IDG has been plotting the Industry Standard, a publication that was synonymous with the dot-com bubble in 1999 and 2000.


Update your Twitter, Facebook and other status messages simultaneously — HelloTxt makes it easy to make sure all of your friends know what you're up to all the time, no matter what social networking services they use. Actually, that might be a bit of an exaggeration …


Exclusive: Amid Yahoo Turmoil, AOL Makes An Acquisition — On Monday AOL will announce the acquisition of San Diego-based Goowy, a startup founded in late 2004 and which launched, incidentally, in my living room in late 2006 (we had a TechCrunch party where Goowy, Meebo, Sphere and other startups launched).

New Mega-D menace muscles Storm Worm aside — If you're an antivirus company or an IT administrator worried about the Storm Worm, you're soooooo 2007. While the Storm botnet accounted for up to 21 percent of online spam last September, new analysis suggests that the up-and-coming Mega-D botnet has seized that role.