lexipixel - 7:28 am on Apr 11, 2008 (gmt 0)

Today probably it's better for Yahoo investors to choose the experience and stability of Microsoft and News Corp.

If they want slow growth and no fun.

So sadly for some and an opportunity for others, Yahoo is today a nice catch.

I don't think it will "sell"... more likely Y! will get new steam from all the buzz.

Microsoft will then catch search patents and the opportunity to expand its technologies. News Corp will get a nice vehicle to deliver its contents. And Yahoo investors will then be happy!

But, if MSFT and NWS.A aquire YHOO, (at an overvalued per share rate), the only thing for a YHOO shareholder to do is sell all shares the next day, and buy GOOG stock.

If history holds any clues, MSFT lawyers will stumble through the acquired YHOO property for 12 months trying to lock down all the patents, then Gates or Balmer will "announce" the rebranded property (as what? MS-Yahoo or YahooLIVE!) --- then we can all watch as it loses ground to a non-dinosaur held start-up doing something we haven't even thought of yet.

The MSFT offer is a competition killer strategy if anything. It makes MSFT the #2 "search provider" overnight -- but Google can just chug along and not even shift gears and stay at #1.

Like any good capitalist, I'd want to see who knocks Google off the top of their "mountain view", but I don't think it's gonna be team Redmond.