Ever man and his digital dog has listed this in their search predictions for 2009 and now Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer has hinted that if a deal is to be done between themselves and Yahoo, now is the best time for it to happen. With Yahoo searching for a CEO to replace Jerry Yang and Microsoft themselves appointing an ex Yahoo face, Qi Lu, ad head of online operations, the newcomers could spearhead any potential deal.
It looks like the only way anyone is going to mount a serious challenge to Google and a combined effort, either through partnership or purchase would see the search experience of Yahoo combined with the technical know-how and product development and of Microsoft. It will be a big challenge to catch Google and it will take number of years to get there but if a deal goes through in Q1 it is set to be an interesting 2009!
Pingback: » BingHoo - Yahoo gives up on search | Search Engine Marketing News | The Digital Lookout The Digital Lookout