It’s important to remember – even as we see another example of why a technologist can’t run a company – that Jerry Yang did bring a tremendous amount of value to the company he co-founded in 1995.  He’s been an asset and will continue to be involved in a technical and board level role.  It’s just unfortunate that his closeness to the company seems to have cost Yahoo the opportunity of the decade because of his resistance to be acquired by Microsoft for as much as $33/share or over $35 billion.  Today, with Yahoo trading up almost 9%, closing at $11.55, $33 seems really, really far away.

On a day where the Dow is up 1.83%, it would appear that Yahoo’s increase of 9% is a sign of approval from the often cutthroat market analysts.

“Yang’s departure will be viewed positively by investors as there was lingering distrust following the aborted Microsoft takeover,” Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster wrote to clients.

From this perspective it seems obvious that companies are going to have to consider alternative forms of survival much more closely than ever before, because as the markets continue to contract – and even if they don’t – the chances of quickly returning to the high-profile years of past are slim.  Yahoo could have absorbed their technology and users into Microsoft and used Microsoft fortunes to expand their technology and tools to really be competitive with the likes of Google and AOL.  Now it’s difficult to imagine a scenario where a surviving Yahoo is able to grow and compete rather than becoming a simple niche in the free mail/news marketspace.

Ranter

Yahoo stock was up considerably today as investors considered whether or not this would reopen discussions with Microsoft, which frankly seems like  amuch better fit, although I truly believe that even the merged companies would soon become a rounding error in Google’s advertising success.  As an advertiser, there are a lot of options out there, but very few offering the same CPC value as Google.  At this point Microsoft has declined to comment, although I suspect that their consideration for this deal is soured and any offer Yahoo receives from Microsoft will reflect a significantly reduced market value.

Yahoo has expressed frequently that they would prefer to remain independent, but few financial analysts believe it can and few on the Internet seem to feel that Yahoo offers a compelling value for the average consumer, and without marrying a product oriented company their audience will soon erode to companies that are able to offer better, more compelling product lines.  At the same time, with the changing economy, Yahoo has gotten very cheap, and while few other companies could match Microsoft’s buying power, it is possile that companies like Time Warner could try and fold the brand into their marketing units.

Only time will tell, but it’s not looking good for Yahoo right now.

Ranter

Apparently not all mormons feel the same about California’s Proposition 8, which I guess leaves the dissenters wondering why they’re spending so much time, money and energy donating to the church when their fundamental beliefs about human rights contradict those of that same church.  This same supposition could hold true for all of California’s Catholic bigots bishops (because we know how some of them feel about little boys), some of the Christians and many of the Orthodox Jews.  These groups seem to feel that they have the most to lose by controlling the sacred rights of marriage between a husband and wife.

Right now it would appear that he Mormons are receiving the most negative attention caused by their support of the Yes on 8 campaign, but at the same time it’s my belief that church and state should remain divided and any organization that chooses to support a cause as controversial as removing human rights from a class of people deserves to be treated with equally as any other – church or not – and they open themselves up to any critisiscm that comes of it.  At the same time companies like Apple are showing their worth committing $100,000 to defeat Proposition 8 and putting their money where their mouth is – showing that big business isn’t all evil.

Of course, it shouldn’t bode well for supporters of Prop 8 knowing that the parents of children featured in the latest prop 8 ad are now demanding that the commercial using their children be taken off the air.  That same ad, suggesting that now California teachers will have to teach same sex union in classrooms is being condemned by educators, and even actors are almost universally vocalizing their oppostion to Prop 8.  Look around and you may quickly find that the religious zealots are pretty much the only people supporting this cause.  Where do you want to be when this comes to a head?

Vote No on Prop 8.

Ranter

I know, I know, it’s not quite that simple when it comes to presidential elections, and most people that vote have an opinion – polls be dammed – but some of the undecided voters and people confused about other issues… – will the polls bias their decision?  I think so.  What do you think?

Ranter

What I don’t understand (and yes I have one) is the passion that their iPhone seems to instill in its users.  It’s just a game machine that plays music and has a mediocre phone with it.  There are other companies that have things somewhat like this, but none seem to receive the same following that Apple has succeeded in achieving with its phone.  I just don’t understand.

Ranter