Google comes out with guns blazing on the web hype du moment, Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Yahoo.
My take on that possible deal is pretty much the same as Eric’s: yawn. But another web player that’s nearly as important as the Fire Ant Gazette, namely Google, apparently isn’t taking the news lying down, as Ars Technica reports.
It isn’t an understatement to say that Google apparently opposes this deal. Going for the jugular, Google’s Drummond instantly suggests that the Redmond giant could (would?) use unsavory tactics for unfair advantage, ultimately harming the Internet and the very open and innovative environment that’s driving it.
What exactly did Google say? The first official statement about the proposed deal comes from David Drummond, who writes,
Microsoft’s hostile bid for Yahoo! raises troubling questions. This is about more than simply a financial transaction, one company taking over another. It’s about preserving the underlying principles of the Internet: openness and innovation.
His then lists the things he thinks we should be concerned about. Things like, Microsoft wielding inappropriate power over the web, establishment of proprietary monopolies online (not just in the PC/software/peripherals market), Microsoft being able to limit access to information sharing and gathering through email, etc…
Drummond closes by saying that Google
take[s] Internet openness, choice and innovation seriously. They are the core of our culture. We believe that the interests of Internet users come first — and should come first — as the merits of this proposed acquisition are examined and alternatives explored.*
Woah, boy! Easy now, e-z! When this deal falls through because it’s rejected by the FTC, or because Microsoft finds some other way to foul it up, Drummond’s going to look like he could use some Gatorade.
Meanwhile we might note that his missive is delivered to us via blogger, which is one arm of Google that has amply demonstrated how seriously it takes the interests of its users (and that is why this blog is now on WordPress).
*Incidentally, when did internet become a proper noun?
