Yahoo shareholders fight rejection of Microsoft bid

As Yahoo sheds over 1,000 staff, some shareholders have filed a lawsuit against it in the hope of forcing the company to reconsider Microsoft's US$44.6 billion takeover bid.

This week, as the Internet company cuts an estimated 1,100 jobs, it has also been hit with a shareholder lawsuit for refusing Microsoft's US$44.6 billion buyout offer. Google has also shied away from an earlier offer to help Yahoo with its search advertising business in order to fend off Microsoft's bid, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Yahoo continues to look for alternatives. According to a source familiar with the matter, News Corp. and Yahoo have been in talks about forging a deal that would counter Microsoft's offer. The source did not divulge details of the talks. A Yahoo spokeswoman declined to comment.

On Monday, the Wayne County Employee's Retirement System of Michigan, which owns about 13,600 shares of Yahoo, filed a lawsuit in a Michigan court asking that Yahoo be forced to consider the takeover, according to a report from Information Week. The lawsuit was filed after Yahoo rejected Microsoft's offer on the grounds that it undervalued the company.

That lawsuit adds to a previously filed class-action lawsuit against Yahoo. In the first week of February, the law firms Byrne and Nixon in Los Angeles and Barrett, Johnston and Parsley in Nashville, Tenn., filed a complaint against Yahoo for quietly refusing a buyout offer by Microsoft last year. That lawsuit alleges that Yahoo's board declined the offer to hold on to its members' lucrative, six-figure jobs, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Yahoo declined comment on any pending litigation. Google declined comment on its offer to help its rival.

Talkback 2 comments

    Google would have been the solution.. Yves -- 14/02/08

    ..but it looks as though Google isn't worried about taking both Microsoft and Yahoo on in the future.

    Microsoft tends to ruin things, so i'm not surprised. This buyout in my opinion will deliver a blow to Microsoft's bottom line and won't help anything down the track.

    You are an ignorant retard! Martin Australia -- 20/02/08 (in reply to #320095498)

    And what things has Microsoft "ruined"?

    I am an investor in tech stocks and have been for more than 15 years and I am sick to death of the ignorant people who post negative stuff about Microsoft.

    Against industry trends and the constant parroting of naysayers like you Microsoft continues to grow and grow. Microsoft just recently posted 15% growth in Net revenue up from USD$44b to USD$51b and growth of 12% in Net income up from USD$12.6b to USD$14.1b. Apple dissappointed and so did Google but Microsoft beat analyst expectations. Google is a one trick company - they have monetised search, nothing else. Mac OS only accounts for 3% of computers and Linux 1% but you wouldn't think so from comments from people like you as you live in a fairy land. Microsoft is the only constant in the business.

    This is not even remotely close to a company who does not produce good quality products and technologies.

    Linux was meant to be the death of Microsoft = Linux market share has been going backwards.

    Microsoft has come from nowhere and is now considered one of the top 3 players in Business Intelligence - Gartner report.

    They invest USD$6.5b in R&D this year and continue to make good and successful acquisitions. aQuantive, Danger (Mobile) and many many others.

    The latest report of Google Apps and Open Source Apps 0.03% of US consumers have switched to office apps in the cloud and Microsoft posted record growth in Office sales.

    More than 50m mobile phones with Windows Mobile are being shipped with growth of more than 300% per annum - how many iPhones were sold!? No comparison.

    So before you make uniformed and ignorant comments - get some facts.

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