A story in today's Murdoch-owned Sunday Times has been rubbished by Kara Swisher at the Murdoch-owned All Things Digital blog, which is an offshoot of the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal.
The story claims that "Software giant Microsoft is in talks to acquire Yahoo's online search business for $20 billion (£13 billion)." It says:
It is thought that Jonathan Miller, ex-chairman and chief executive of AOL, and Ross Levinsohn, a former president of Fox Interactive Media, have been lined up to lead the new management team.
However, Levinsohn has told Swisher it's "total fiction" and "the first time Levinsohn has heard of the plan, he said. Sources at Microsoft and Yahoo also said there was no deal like that in the making at this point in time."
VentureBeat also says: "We've reached out to Levinsohn who says of the Times Online report: 'No truth to it. News to us'."
Silicon Alley Insider's Henry Blodget is going with: Microsoft-Yahoo $20 Billion Search Deal Hogwash - Levinsohn
It would be quite generous of Microsoft to pay $20 billion for a small part of a company that is, as a whole, worth $16 billion.
Of course, the idea that Microsoft and Yahoo will try to do some sort of deal, at some sort of price, at some point in the future, is taken for granted. But that's not news, it's speculation. The idea that they are doing a deal now, at that price, before Jerry Yang has been replaced as CEO, would be news, but is it true?
"Not yet" seems to be the consensus.
.jpg?w=600)
