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Google, Yahoo, and the Elephant In the Room

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the nothing-to-see-here dept.

CWmike writes "Linda Rosencrance reports that despite assurances from Google and Yahoo that their online advertising deal doesn't need regulatory approval, the two companies should not be too quick to dismiss Microsoft's influence on Capitol Hill. Andrew Frank, an analyst at Gartner, said both Yahoo and Google will benefit from the deal, but he also said Microsoft will do everything in its power to bring the arrangement to a screeching halt. 'Expect Microsoft to challenge it and come back aggressively with some search plans of its own,' he said. Rob Enderle, of the Enderle Group, said Microsoft is a formidable opponent and knows how to play politics. 'Without Microsoft, this probably would stand up to regulatory scrutiny,' Enderle said. 'But Microsoft has increased its presence on Capitol Hill significantly ... and there are restraint of trade issues, so by the nature of Google's size and because Microsoft is going to be pounding on a lot of doors, I think this is going to be a problem.'"

10 of 123 comments (clear)

  1. Bragging about Corruption. by twitter · · Score: 4, Interesting

    No matter how many times it's done, it's always amazing to see people endorse corruption. The anti-trust trial, destruction of competitors, ISO have all left a bad taste in people's mouth. Yet it seems there's always someone that says these "sharp" business practices are good and another that demands people respect them.

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  2. Enderle is mostly full of shit by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 4, Informative

    Rob Enderle is an idiot and a compulsive liar. He's also a paid Microsoft shill. His comments on the SCO v. IBM and SCO v. Novell, etc. were always something along the lines of "SCO is going to win. SCO has a good case. Linux contains pirated UNIX code." And so forth. If Rob Enderle told me the sky was blue, I would run outside and check for myself.

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    1. Re:Enderle is mostly full of shit by cp.tar · · Score: 4, Informative

      If Rob Enderle told me the sky was blue, I would run outside and check for myself.

      ... because more likely than not, the atmospheric conditions would have changed enough to make the sky bright green.

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  3. The elephant may smash all the chairs in the room by cp.tar · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ... but the Google-Yahoo deal is non-exclusive, so I guess that'll get them off the hook.

    I do find it quite ominous that Microsoft has been put on the defensive, and they can only try to defend by making the government stop their competitors.
    They are influential, but it is growing ever more obvious they cannot compete with their own tech, no matter how much money they may have.

    It's sad, really.

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  4. Rob Enderele by xmodem_and_rommon · · Score: 5, Informative

    Rob Enderele, Rob Enderele, Rob Enderele, where do I know that name?

    ah, thats where
    http://jeremy.linuxquestions.org/2007/09/24/sco-linux-and-rob-enderle-a-conclusion/
    http://daringfireball.net/2003/12/enderle
    http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/34004/128

    As far as i'm concerned, that man has ZERO credibility.

  5. Him again? by HangingChad · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Rob Enderle, of the Enderle Group...

    The guy who suggested SCO had a case, spoke at one of their annual meetings. Which put him the company of tech luminaries such as Maureen O'Gara. Seems like he spends the bulk of his time being an "independent" shill for Microsoft. Why do news organizations keep turning to a tool like him for quotes?

    How much PR money does it take to wield that much influence over tech media?

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  6. Not even. by khasim · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Sounds like a classic example of attacking the person rather than what he is saying.
    No. If people were saying that he's wrong because he's a well known Presbyterian you'd be correct.

    Saying that he's been consistently wrong ... and ALWAYS on Microsoft's (and their allies) side ... is called "experience" or "learning from history".

    Remember the old saw about those who do not learn from history.

    Now, he MIGHT be correct this time. But also remember that it is possible to get the correct answer with faulty "logic" and false "facts".
  7. I know that Steve Ballmer isn't too thin, but.... by Dogtanian · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...it's just cruel to describe him as an elephant.

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  8. Re:Ask the AntiTrust Senator and DOJ about it. by cp.tar · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The current administration's time is up.

    Why, thank you, Captain Obvious. We'd hoped nobody would actually notice the quiet little elections we have going on behind the scenes.

    Investigating this kind of deals doesn't seem like too bad a thing; I think there should be more of them, too.
    If, however, this deal got sanctioned, while Microsoft's anti-competitive behaviour didn't, then we would have a problem. Please do not create a problem where there is none. Yet.

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  9. Re:First Thing We Do, Let's Kill All the Lobbyists by WeirdJohn · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Wouldn't it be nice if all Americans had the access to officials that only lobbyists get?


    Sorry, that only happens in a democracy.

    Yes I know this will be modded into oblivion. But please realise that The Rest Of The World does not acknowledge the USA as a shining example of Democracy and Freedom. I think it's because you've lost that "of the people, by the people, for the people" bit, and now have "of the moneyed, by the moneyed, for the moneyed".