Microsoft and Yahoo together can never give nightmares to Google. However, the best thing we’re looking forward to from this takeover, if it happens, is better products and services. The successfully executed acquisition would certainly achieve this. Google will fight back, probably with better operating system and office software. It’s good news for consumers overall.

It’s always great to see when two giants are planning to merge and there aren’t many companies bigger than Microsoft and Yahoo. Microsoft is being over confident in Yahoo which is clearly seen in the amount offered by the company. However such a hefty bid could make Microsoft lose some of its investors who are not as optimistic as the company itself. Still the merger makes for some sort of competition between Google and the merged companies, but ending Google’s supremacy is something not at all on the cards for another decade or so.

It’s a mature thought - whenever the intelligence of two combines, something ultra takes birth...but for Microsoft to actually get this going, is incredibly difficult. Here we’re talking of billion dollar companies, therefore, with Microsoft bidding $44.5 billion for Yahoo! It is outrightly evident that the merger will be a success – but that will take time, and when I mean time, I mean a long time – within which, Google is bound to gain. If the things go ahead as Microsoft visions, there will be one less player in the search engines, and therefore if you think it is a cakewalk for Microsoft – Google instigates you to think again.

Definitely it will, Just see the data presented by Nielsen/Net Ratings for March 2007 -

TOP WEB BRANDS

Unique audience (in millions)

Google- 108.4
Yahoo- 107.8
Microsoft- 98.7
MSN/Windows Live- 95.4
AOL Media Network- 95.0

Now decide what would happen when Microsoft will take Yahoo...

Check the graph here. What a bad move for MS. They're paying a huge amount over the current stock price, how they’ll manage $44.6 billion - cash reserves will blow up. And all this to fight Google?

Microsoft is and software grandeur is in no way a veiled fact and its collaboration with Yahoo will be a great upheaval for google. Since cat is in the bag, it’s hard to say anything as of now. But surely Yahoo has got some problems with margins, they’re coming down with this. If Yahoo doubles its margins to industry norms, that's $6B annually in added net and only Microsoft can bring that to proportionate.

Both the companies, Microsoft and Yahoo, have many overlapping businesses, such as messaging, email and advertising, and news, travel and finance sites, but both are weak in the Web search market, the stronghold of Google. The new mega merger, if prevail, would hopefully put a good competition and break the monopoly of Goggle.

For Yahoo, it will be tough to fight google's dominance. Why?? let me tell you the reasons - the Internet User Profile Survey (IUPS) clearly revealed that the Google has challenged all its competitors including Yahoo and and become the loved site or Internet search uses. Some seven years the story was different and Yahoo was indisputably the most visited search engine in UK with 42% people accepted Yahoo was their favorite. People loved Yahoo because it was simple to use, it had clear categories, and comfortable in design. Very few had projected that Google, a new site then, will kill yahoo,s dominance. Google had one per cent users at that time. The story changed within three years and the one per cent became 38 per cent in UK. Since then Google has given tremendous services to users and it will be hard to break Google's dominance even for MICROHOO (Microsoft+Yahoo).

Why is anybody doubtful about yahoo???? It’s a value for sure. I use Yahoo Finance, and it’s excellent, here I can say that it’s 100 times better than Google's dire offering. if Microsoft and Yahoo will join they will certainly ward Google off soon.

it's too early to say something on a hoax bcoz all we know yet is two different search technologies Yahoo's Panama, and Microsoft's will integrate. But even if it’s true the question still remains will it affect? And my answer is no, the reason being this will far from helping them take significant search share from google. I use GOOG to search (sometimes AltaVista), but hardly ever MSFT or YHOO hence the doubts over its bid to dent google search share.

well this is beyond any same mind Microsoft taking over the Yahoo who has always a questionable business model for such an absurd amount of $$. I guess now is a good time to short MS stock. and if it's true, the tottering Yahoo can asking nothing more than this but to take over Google is dreaming with open eyes that never comes true.

Microsoft is eying Yahoo from a long time, you’ll not believe, a year ago Yahoo declined the offer and now when Yahoo stocks are taking a big hit and a recession around the corner, MS is actually offering them a lifeline. Come on Yahoo, don’t miss the opportunity, sell. And talking about dominance, let’s not forget that both these two too are giants and that too on number 2 and 3. The marriage can give Google nightmares and would end Google’s the dominance too. And I don’t think there is any reason we should not believe it. MS and Yahoo have been giving us great products and together they can definitely shake Google.

Yahoo is trying hard and doing everything to oust Google from the top. It has been trying to give fight to Google with a corporate restructuring of 2006 and released a new search advertising system, code-named Panama. But Google's monopoly has been established because of its user friendly features.

Why not?

If you have enough money for investment (that Microsoft possess in huge piles), and some better brains and ideas (Yahoo!), you may not just secure a place amid intense competition but also make the business giants run for their money.

Everything is possible in this evolutionary world. Who knows the Microsoft, Yahoo merger may turn out to be the leader of tomorrow’s internet market?

I think data provided by Matt & Adrianna is enough to prove my point, still advocating the huge merger, Yahoo/Microsoft bear hug is no less than a poison-pill for Google, because it isn’t a secret anymore that the market is increasingly dominated by one player (YAHOO) who is consolidating its dominance through acquisition n now you can imagine how merger of two big-guns would offer a credible alternative for consumers, advertisers, and publishers

So finally, the things have started moving in the right direction. We’re expecting this, isn’t it? Together, the duo can offer an increasingly exciting set of solutions for consumers, publishers and advertisers and position themselves better offering more competitive online services making Google come up with a new plan...the dominance will break one day, if not today…tomorrow. I wonder why Apple is not in the ring till now. What about Apple+MS+Yahoo?

Relying on the figures, put forth by Matt it could be asserted that confluence of Yahoo and Microsoft could certainly breakout an inundation the flow of which may create cracks on the mighty edifice of Google. Moreover, considering that this confluence won’t affect Cyber giant Google, sounds a bit kiddish because in the cutthroat competition, which is turning more and more volatile, one can’t say for sure, which company would lay prostrate and which one would hold up its head valiantly.

Napoleon can’t survive alone…can’t fight alone… he’s lost his confidence and hence there comes a deal offer… a classic case that is more money backed than brains. Marriage of mediocrity Mr. Yang and Ms. Decker… Mr. lame (Bill) will get crutches to fight again… and Bill’s own brain is rusted now…hence buying & modifying things than adding anything new…

Separately Microsoft with 9.8% and Yahoo with 22.9% have always struggled in competing with Google with 58.4% share in the world web market. I hope that this new corporate marriage will actually take place, and the combination of the internet portal and the software giant will see the new skies in the internet industry.

@Jennifer
I think you haven’t used Yahoo yet. What extensive searching capacities that google have and yahoo doesn’t you’re talking about? You’re trusting Google only till they haven’t capitalized on the vast amounts of personal data, wait till that happens and then check out yahoo. Microsoft's bid for Yahoo will unleash a new internet age. It’s true that Yahoo and MSN were too lazy to prioritize search, but if the two come together, they can’t afford to sit back and here starts the real war. Google sucks - look how spammers are dominating the search…the adsense content matching algorithms too is awful. All these gonna change soon.

Strictly I am neither side yet, but this is for everybody: You all perhaps don’t know how to read a press release and just mistook it and went on flaunting the deal. Here I need to tell you that Microsoft has proposed to buy Yahoo for $31 per share in cash or stock may be. The offer doesn’t mean Yahoo’s affirmation. Just wait ppl! let Yahoo give its response… don’t make castle in the air.

Yahoo's e-mail program is still No. 1, with 243 million users in March.

Accounting for more than half of web searches, Google is sitting on top of the net search engine and leads with a huge margin from its nearest competitors. It is good to see companies (Microsoft and Yahoo) merging or coming together to topple the internet giant.

Of course, the proposed amalgamation can reduce the overall proportion of the Google a bit in net search market, bur expecting a bid turnaround would be a far-fetched dream, at least in the near future.

Initially, Google provided search for Yahoo but the growth of Google forced yahoo to severe ties. With the entry of Microsoft in the battle, Google will definitely face problems. Yahoo would be a logical partner for Microsoft.

Yeah! Here comes the Google sucking thing. I was wondering why no one discussed it till now. U see, Microsoft pushes the spark and all of a sudden people who desperately want to see this horrible monopolistic company go down crop up…don’t worry, you’ll find loads of them pouring their chants following me here. You know, they refused to index my site despite the fact that it’s non-profit and are eating away all my money. Google is more or less acting like a CENSOR, which should stop now with the merger.

Google lost battle with Yahoo in answer business. Yahoo Answers was launched in December 2005 and in just three months, it kicked back Google by receiving 1.3 million unique visitors and within one year it managed almost 10 times as many visitors as Google Answers had in July 2006. isn't it an indication of battle to be lost by Google when Microsoft gangs up with Yahoo.

Why you guys (on both sides) are getting so impatient and reckless in giving away your opinions that may well turn futile with a single decision?

Stop counting the chickens before they are hatched.

What if Moreover investors fearing investment risk pressurize the company to pull back from the over-hyped deal? Duh…

Wouldn’t it be better first let the seeds implanted in the field than planning for harvest?