Google CEO Eric Schmidt is at it again telling anyone who will listen what a great thing it would be for the industry if Yahoo! stayed independent because "a combination with Microsoft "would be anti-competitive". Like he should know.
Of course, what he really means is that if it stays weak and a bit of a mess.
"The world is better off with an independent Yahoo. There's "more competition ... in search, and more competition in the other advertising markets where Yahoo! is a leader."
A leader? Which markets would they be? Bora Bora maybe? Last time anyone checked anything Google dominated the world of search and the rest is just scraps on the kitchen floor for the dog. I'm betting Schmidt's dog is called Yahoo!.
In the US, Google accounted for almost 70% of all US searches in May and for more than 87% in May. Those figures are hard to ignore.
"The moment we saw the offer from Microsoft, we saw it as anti-competitive," Schmidt said. "It's easy to understand. Look at Microsoft's history."
What he means is "wow the moment we saw this we thought: this could mean real competition finally. We have got to kill this deal guys". And they seem to have been successful as while Yahoo! continues to be circled by investor Carl Icahn the chances of a deal with Microsoft seem to be receding.
Schmidt, speaking at the annual Allen & Co gathering of media and tech chiefs, is obviously feeling pretty pleased with himself after Google essentially managed to thwart Microsoft by signing a heavily criticised search deal with Yahoo!.
Gordon Macmillan
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