14 DAY TRIAL // Recent reports surrounding the Yahoo-selling-out story have revealed that the American public corporation's chief executive and co-founder, Jerry Yang, is not exactly a big Microsoft fan (not that Yang wouldn't consider an alternative to that feeling, should Microsoft double their offer). More companies are now interested in acquiring the Internet giant, Apple, among them, and with Yang having expressed his admiration towards the Mac-making firm, we might just see the two CEOs shaking hands.
"Yahoo chief executive and co-founder Jerry Yang is understood not to be Microsoft's greatest fan, and would be prepared to line up another 'white knight' rather than concede to Ballmer," the business.scotsman.com report reads. "It is believed he would be particularly open to a rescue bid from Steve Jobs' Apple Corp, having openly expressed his admiration for the firm in the past."
The same piece, not surprisingly, also reveals that Yang "would be prepared to line up another 'white knight' rather than concede to Ballmer." More than that, an official Yahoo post says: "Will the board seek proposals from any other companies? The board is going to evaluate all of Yahoo's strategic alternatives and pursue the option that it believes can best maximise value for our shareholders."
Well logically, that's what a company does during times like this... Anyway, in addition to Apple and News Corp., other firms are also willing to grab Yahoo from under Microsoft's nose, including American media conglomerate InterActiveCorp and leading Chinese search firms such as Alibaba.com.
The aforementioned source also remarks Yang's calling upon Steve Jobs this past October, to deliver a motivational speech at a company meeting (consisting of approximately 300 of Yahoo's top brass), in an effort to help boost the sagging moral at the once thriving Internet search company. Yang clearly likes the Apple model, no doubt about it.
In return, Steve Jobs expressed his thoughts about Yahoo as being one of the largest Internet user bases that can do and achieve anything. Jobs also compared Yang's company to Apple, as far as valuable assets went.