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Microsoft Buys Ad Firm for $6 Billion
bain writes "The BBC is reporting that Microsoft has agreed to buy the digital marketing firm Aquantive, in what will be its biggest ever acquisition. The software giant spent almost $6 billion acquiring the agency, in its first bid to tackle the online advertising market. 'The deal is expected to be completed in the first half of 2008, subject to regulation. Microsoft said the expensive price tag was worth it to access the complementary technology of Aquantive. The firm will continue to operate from Seattle as part of Microsoft's online operations, and will help the software giant broaden the scope of services its MSN consumer internet unit can offer. Microsoft is the latest technology firm to pounce on the shrinking independent online advertising sector.'"
In an attempt to foil Microsoft's plans for internet advertising domination, Google has upped the bidding to eleventy billion dollars, a number which does not even exist. Yet.
Blerg.
Ahh, I see they've decided to innovate some more to compete with Google...
This guy's the limit!
Well I wonder if Google sold it all and jumped off a cliff if M$ would blindly do the same?? What is up with this rampant battle to out do each other?? If Google started making washing machines would M$ follow suit??
Sig?! Sig?! We don't need no stinking sig!!
Microsoft's already evil. Them doing more evil is not news.
Nothing to see here, move along...
According to this site, it's actually $0.89 and decreasing per eyeball. So I guess as the population of the Earth increases, the deal looks better and better?
I prefer Flambe as apposed flamebait.
You know, this might even be a good thing. If it looks like silverlight is just being used for annoying ads maybe people will avoid it at first and it'll never take hold!
In related news, has Miguel de Icaza tried to buy a bankrupt ad agency for $6 yet?
The Farewell Tour II
As a gesture to welcome the new acquisition, Aquantive received a shipment of new office furniture at their soon to be headquarters in the Microsoft complex. A welcome note from CEO Steve Ballmer was attached to the shipment. Current Aquantive employees were happy about the gesture but questioned why there appeared to be disportionately more chairs than employees. The estimates were a 5 to 1 ratio. In a separate shipment, bolts, bars, and steel plates were also delivered to the offices. An attached, unsigned note read: "You're going to need these for the chairs. Good luck and Godspeed."
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
Heck. For $1 you could probably buy a pair of eye balls in certain parts of the world.
Help! I'm a slashdot refugee.
Just edit your TV's hosts file.
/* No Comment */
You're forgetting to use the synergistic multiplier to figure out the value added benefits of having turbo charged the money flux capacitor.
New exit strategy - sell to Google, Microsoft, or Yahoo.
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