Microsoft looking into full acquisition of Facebook

[maash]

http://www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/...730765420080507

Microsoft Corp gauged Facebook's interest in a possible acquisition after the software giant's failed takeover attempt of Yahoo Inc, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The newspaper reported on its Web site that Microsoft's bankers put out subtle signals to Facebook, the social networking Web site, to see if it would be open to a full acquisition.

The talks were first reported by Web site All Things Digital, owned by Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones.

Facebook spokeswoman Brandee Barker declined to comment on the report. Microsoft officials were not immediately available for comment.

In October, Microsoft took a $240 million stake in Facebook, which valued the start-up at $15 billion. Citing an unnamed source, the report said there are no active discussions between the two companies.

The news came a few days after Microsoft dropped its unsolicited offer to buy Yahoo for $47.5 billion. The aim of that proposal was to build an online advertising powerhouse to rival Google Inc.

Facebook, founded in 2004 by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg, has become one of the hottest properties on the Internet because of its rapid growth and the loyalty of its users. Facebook has more than 70 million active users.

In the past, Zuckerberg has resisted selling the entire company, opting to work toward an initial public offering.

Shares of Microsoft were up 5 cents at $29.75 in afternoon Nasdaq trade.

[sundayx Veteran]

No one wants you Microsoft you destroy everything in your path. Stop luring people with your money.

[Cara Veteran]

"I wish him the best, I really do. I just think he and Microsoft are a bit narrow. He'd be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger." -Steve Jobs

Come on Microsoft, innovate something for once instead of trying to buy someone's success and riding their coattails into the ground. :p The reason their web presence is in the state that they have found it is due to a lack of being creative, offering services that people want without the extreme overhead or proprietary nature.

So, if MS buys out Facebook, where do we move our Neowin.net group. ;)

[Rudy]

wow MS really doesn't know what to do with that money uh? Burning a hole in the back pocket i guess

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

Maybe they will buy Apple next?

[DreadBoat89]

Maybe they will buy Apple next?

microsoft does have a stake in apple...

[oceanmotion]

Not like Google innovate either, they buy companies just like Microsoft for the technology and ideas. Anyway, I agree. Be more creative and come out with something that attracts users from the get go instead of buying them.

If Microsoft bought Facebook you can be sure the security would be a lot tighter. I trust Microsoft with personal information more so than others.

[Rudy]

Not like Google innovate either, they buy companies just like Microsoft for the technology and ideas. Anyway, I agree. Be more creative and come out with something that attracts users from the get go instead of buying them.

If Microsoft bought Facebook you can be sure the security would be a lot tighter. I trust Microsoft with personal information more so than others.

google contributes a lot more than MS to the communities. Look at Google Summer of Code

[soldier1st]

MS Tried to take over yahoo but it failed of course and the MS takeover of facebook will fail,if MS would do like google then maybe they might stand a chance but MS charges way too much for it's stuff.

[neufuse Veteran]

Maybe they will buy Apple next?

Look up the history of Apple and MS... you'd find MS gave them a lot of money in the past

[Cara Veteran]

Look up the history of Apple and MS... you'd find MS gave them a lot of money in the past

Microsoft also Remains one of the largest Apple Software Vendors.

[oCYBERDOGo]

Well if Microsoft does buy FaceBook then it would be great to use it with the new Neowin FaceBook Group, Microsoft, Neowin & FaceBook a great treo..

Edited May 8, 2008 by NeoFyLe

[Cara Veteran]

Well if Microsoft does buy FaceBook then it would be great to use it with the new Neowin FaceBook Group, Microsoft Neowin & FaceBook a great treo..

Except for the fact that they will block all browsers but Internet Explorer, require you have a Live.com address to login, and swear your first born child to carry the sweat of Steve Ballmer for all of eternity. ;)

[Rudy]

Except for the fact that they will block all browsers but Internet Explorer, require you have a Live.com address to login, and swear your first born child to carry the sweat of Steve Ballmer for all of eternity. ;)

and that's just for basic membership, if you want premium membership it gets a lot worst

[Cara Veteran]

and that's just for basic membership, if you want premium membership it gets a lot worst

Microsoft Facebook Home, Facebook Home Premium, Facebook Ultimate Edition, and Facebook Ultimate Edition for Business Entities presented by Microsoft Live.com.

[Rudy]

Microsoft Facebook Home, Facebook Home Premium, Facebook Ultimate Edition, and Facebook Ultimate Edition for Business Entities presented by Microsoft Live.com.

:rofl:

[revvo]

Microsoft Facebook Home, Facebook Home Premium, Facebook Ultimate Edition, and Facebook Ultimate Edition for Business Entities presented by Microsoft Live.com.

hahaha

"With Facebook Ultimate for Business, you can track down your ex employees and their every move. With BitLocker, you can also encrypt and secure your darkest secrets"

:ninja:

[Marshalus Veteran]

It might get interesting seeing as Facebook is all coded for LAMP servers and Microsoft... oh... you know... is sort of big into IIS/ASP/MsSQL. Facebook contributes a lot back to PHP development as well, from what I've been told. I remember back in the day that Hotmail was run on Linux as well, and their transition to Windows was... painful... at best.

[Rudy]

I remember back in the day that Hotmail was run on Linux as well, and their transition to Windows was... painful... at best.

Yes it was, they fail to migrate my gf's account properly and she lost all her emails (the folders were still there but empty....)

[evo_spook]

Just like to point out inaccuracies in the thread. MS sold all the shares they had in Apple, sold them at a very good rate aswell.

[se7en.hu]

haha, i lol'd at some of the posts here, like that Steve Jobs quote too :rofl:

[MrA]

It might get interesting seeing as Facebook is all coded for LAMP servers and Microsoft... oh... you know... is sort of big into IIS/ASP/MsSQL. Facebook contributes a lot back to PHP development as well, from what I've been told. I remember back in the day that Hotmail was run on Linux as well, and their transition to Windows was... painful... at best.

You mean FreeBSD, not Linux. But yeah, it's gonna be a pain for MS to move all that infrastructure to Windows. Same problem if they had acquired Yahoo.

[evo_spook]

You mean FreeBSD, not Linux. But yeah, it's gonna be a pain for MS to move all that infrastructure to Windows. Same problem if they had acquired Yahoo.

Yes, I agree that is the biggest problem with this acquisition, the transfer from BSD & PHP.

If they left it and not movied it to ASP then I doubt anyone would be bothered, I also wonder if this will be a sticky point in the sale.

[Marshalus Veteran]

I didn't know it was BSD. ;)

[spenser.d]

I wouldn't mind I guess. I don't see them doing anything bad to it, so whatever floats their boat.

-Spenser