Only two big players on the web?

The news that Microsoft want to buy Yahoo! isn't a surprise: everyone knew, everyone expected. The only question was: when?

The real surprise is the timeliness of Microsoft, which has chosen the best moment to come out.

On 30 January Yahoo! announced a loss in the fourth quarter 2007 and the cutting of 1000 employees (out of a total of 14,300). The title of Yahoo! is at least the last four years (-46% since October 2007). The day after Terry Semel, the CEO of Yahoo!, abandone.

The first February arrives the OPA, precise and punctual, like a vulture that get its prey after having flying over round waiting for the right time.

The strategy of Microsoft indicates that, also if the market is growing, there's no place for many players.

The news is arrived in a moment in wich Yahoo! doesn't have the resources to tackle alone a very competitive market dominated by a single player, namely Google, which is improving its position through acquisitions (DoubleClick, YouTube and many others).

This is the sign that che Microsoft has failed to make a stand to Google with its forces in terms of software and can react only with its economic power.

Microsoft until now had adopted a very conservative policy, defending its "milking cows" (Windows and Office): near these closed applications, based on desktop platforms and operating modes off-line, proposed integrated tools into web, in a PC-centric way.

Having understand that this was not the best strategy to become a competitive Internet company, Microsoft has chosen the path of the acquisition of companies that already have these characteristics.

But this will not be enough: only whether Microsoft will be able to acquire skills and attitudes by Yahoo! (the option without doubt most courageous), or it must adapt to the mentality of Microsoft (in which case the acquisition may not set the desired results).

Meanwhile in Mountain View are smiling: with a single blow the largest competitor is put out of the game (only if Microsoft fails to relaunch their products) and Microsoft that surrenders.

Until now Brin and Page haven't wrong a blow and with the purchase of YouTube have also assured the leadership of social network.

The United States Department of Justice has indicated that it will monitor the supply of Microsoft for possible antitrust implications; Microsoft already in recent years was split into two distinct sections (one for the software, one for Internet) to defend themselves from charges of dominant position, but remained subject to federal control to assess its commitment to reduce its strength in the market.

Lawyers of Microsoft said that the only company that can not buy Yahoo! is Google, which already owns 77% of the market.

If the OPA will be successful, a veri big player by 350 billion dollars will born: this assessment takes into account the 303 billion dollars in scores of Microsoft on the stock market and 45 billion dollars offered for Yahoo!, compared with 176 billion worth Google.

A nice "no comment" instead comes from both the European Commission and Google.