SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer may be experiencing a case of bidder's remorse after making an unsolicited $42.3 billion offer to buy Yahoo Inc.

Speaking to a group of nearly 2,000 Microsoft enthusiasts at a technology conference in Seattle, Ballmer asked how many people use Yahoo as their primary Web search engine.

Only a handful of arms went up -- fewer than for Microsoft's Windows Live search. The overwhelming majority raised their hands for Google Inc, which Microsoft is seeking to challenge as an online advertising powerhouse.

After the tepid response for Yahoo's search, Ballmer said jokingly: "Wow! We offered 31 bucks a share."

Yahoo and Microsoft, which rank No. 2 and 3 in Web search respectively, are at a stand-off. Microsoft has said its $31 a share offer is fair, while Yahoo has said the cash-and-stock offer significantly undervalues the company.

source

It's a surprise that this jerk isn't driving the company into ground since he's been alone at the helm.

I thought it was actually pretty funny....

Ballmer is mentally crazy, I can't believe he is the CEO of Microsoft

He isn't? He is. The legacy of his stupidity is only beginning to manifest itself. It's not only Ballmer that's the problem, it's whoever is managing Live. All they do is mindlessly copy Google, such as Live News being the latest example. Microsoft isn't doing anything to offer an alternative or superior product, it offers clones with extra eye candy and proprietary Microsoft crap (e.g. Silverlight) tacked on FOR NO BENEFIT TO USERS.

That is the root of the problem. Ballmer and his gang of thugs aren't concerned about what users want, all they're concerned about is Microsoft stock. If they gave a damn, they'd stop copying Google and Apple and expanding into markets where they offer NO BENEFIT, and concentrated solely on the few products they have that people are stuck with: Windows and Office. Ballmer seems to think the MS OS-Office suite monopoly cannot be defeated, but if MS continues to make any more Vista-like products, if Windows 7 sucks as much as Vista, Ballmer is going to get a very rude awakening by 2010 from Apple, Linux, Google, and VMWare.

And maybe even Yahoo, if MS fails in crushing them.

You know, it's not even MS's monopoly that bothers me. What bothers me is that MS tries to kill off superior products and replace them with it's own Windows flag-branded garbage. When MS can't compete, it buys the competition, or uses it's monopoly to destroy them. What's the benefit to users from all these inferior MS knockoffs that Ballmer is pushing?

That has to be the funniest rant I've ever read. You obviously know very little about what Microsoft is doing. But don't listen to me, I'm a Microsoft newsposter, so I'm biased anyway

God bless Steve Jobs and Jonathan Ives.

iWonder what MS would be like if Jobs took the helm.

It'd be even more of a monopoly than it is now or ever was in the past and Jobs would love it more than any guy at MS does...

-Spenser

Laughing all the way to the bank? I hope they enjoy it while it lasts.

I see what you did there...

iCan't help it.

Agh, there iGo again!

I dunno, I switched from Vista to OSX...its a nice scene change, But I honestly cant say I have any less problems.

Hell after the new Safari 3.1.1(osx) update the machine locked up shutting down.

NEWSFLASH: This thread isn't about Apple, Steve Jobs, Macs or OS X. This is about Steve Ballmer making a silly comment and about Microsoft wanting to purchase Yahoo!

i would still use Yahoo! search before Windows Live any day.. although I'm a Google man myself.

I use Live first, then yahoo & then Google...i am not sure why...but i like it & i use it :-D (lot of "i"Letter in my sentence...heh, did i say it as iLetter ;-) )