Jerry Yang talks about Yahoo's future

May 5, 2008 06:14 GMT  ·  By

Following Microsoft's interest in buying Yahoo and the Redmond-based company's withdrawal, Jerry Yang, CEO & Chief Yahoo, admitted that the latest few weeks were quite important for the Sunnyvale-based firm and, even if the company has been under the world's spotlights, this may also be a good thing.

Some people say that an alliance between Microsoft and Yahoo would have brought a very powerful company that could be able to compete with Google and focus more on the search market. Others believe that a potential merge between Yahoo and Microsoft's products would only send users to other companies. However, the transaction was officially canceled and none of these would ever happen. In the near future, at least.

Here are some scraps of the statement signed by Jerry Yang, CEO & Chief Yahoo, regarding the Microsoft acquisition and the future of the company:

"With Microsoft's withdrawal, we'll be better able to focus our energy on growing our industry leadership and maximizing value for stockholders. We'll continue to execute on our plan - making your Internet experience as personal, relevant, open and social as possible, serving advertisers so well they insist on working with us, and opening up Yahoo! in a way that developers dream of. And, we'll also continue to pursue strategic opportunities that position us for long-term success.

Has this experience changed us? Of course, it has. We've emerged a stronger, more focused company with an even greater sense of purpose. I'm so proud of how this company has come together, put the noise aside, and showed the world that we have the resolve and determination to thrive in challenging times."

And because there were lots of reports which tried to explain the Microsoft withdrawal giving all kinds of reasons for Yahoo rejecting the offer, Jerry Yang clarified the matter:

"The board took its mission very seriously. We clearly indicated to Microsoft that we were open to a transaction but only if it were on terms that fully recognized the value of Yahoo! and was in the best interests of our stockholders."