The big question now is what happens to Yahoo which is trying to decide whether to sell part or all of itself following the firing last month of Carol Bartz as CEO. Employees were told in an email in late September that the process could take several months. In the meantime, there will be much speculation about who might be interested in the company.
First we have speculation that Microsoft is planning to take over Yahoo. Microsoft launched a $44.6bn hostile bid for Yahoo in 2008 that at the time was vigorously rebuffed by Yahoo. Yahoo's share price has since collapsed, so Microsoft could get it a lot cheaper.
Then we have reports that private-equity firm Silver Lake, Chinese internet company Alibaba Group and Russia's Digital Sky Technologies are discussing a possible joint bid for Yahoo. Significantly, Yahoo owns about 40 per cent of Alibaba and Alibaba's chief executive Jack Ma has talked about buying Yahoo.
So which way will it go? Whatever the outcome, Yahoo is now in play.
no comment untill now