Bill Gates Says, Microsoft "focused on its independent strategy"

[engine]

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said Wednesday the company isn't pursuing other deals following the withdrawal of its $47.5 billion takeover bid for Yahoo.

He said in Tokyo that the company put "a lot of effort" in the talks with Yahoo and has decided the two should pursue "independent paths."

Those comments seemed to set a different tone than on Tuesday in South Korea, where he said the company wasn't ruling out alternative partnerships after the failure to buy Yahoo.

Bill Gates Says, Microsoft "Focused on its Independent strategy" [news.yahoo.com]

[coldfused]

Personally I think they should focus on their core product (OS in case they forgot) and get that right. They have fallen years behind search against Google and if they're not careful they will loose too much market share to Apple if they keep putting crap like Vista on the market.

Fix the OS first.

[grelmar]

Mayhaps the Board threw a chair a Ballmer for muffing up, and now he has to tow the line for a while.

[lexipixel]

He said in Tokyo that the company put "a lot of effort" in the talks with Yahoo and has decided the two should pursue "independent paths."

I like analogies:

Gates' rhetoric sounds like a guy who asks a gal to marry him several times over the course of months -- after she repeatedly refuses he tells his friends and family, "I decided we weren't right for each other".

[zuko105]

Gates' rhetoric sounds like a guy who asks a gal to marry him several times over the course of months -- after she repeatedly refuses he tells his friends and family, "I decided we weren't right for each other".

Nice one.

[weeks]

Lex, your analogy is weak. Yahoo was looking at an unfriendly takeover and Yahoo was entirely opposed to the deal, just not at the right price.

I think Gates' explanation can be taken a face value. It wasn't a good fit. It's odd that this wasn't obvious from the get-go.

[mikedee]

Billy no mates...

[whoisgregg]

A better analogy would be the guy who tries to force himself on a woman, she fights him off, then to protect his ego he pretends he's better off without her.

Edited: singular, plural, what difference does it make? ;)

[edited by: whoisgregg at 9:28 pm (utc) on May 7, 2008]

[maximillianos]

Isn't Bill suppose to be retired any day now?

[skibum]

He said in Tokyo that the company put "a lot of effort" in the talks with Yahoo and has decided the two should pursue "independent paths."

First step is to realize the Internet is not the desktop, second is to figure out what Microsoft is and where it is going and then develop something that could be termed an independent strategy. IMHO they are lost.

[grelmar]

First step is to realize the Internet is not the desktop...

More and more, the Internet is the desktop. Live in the cloud, man, live in the cloud.