acquisition

Yahoo's Chinese Internet partner Alibaba--in which Yahoo still owns a 40 percent stake--is preparing a bid to buy all of the Web giant, according to Bloomberg.

The news service reported that Alibaba and Softbank are in "advanced talks" with the Blackstone Group and Bain Capital to put together a bid for all of Yahoo. Bloomberg cited "three people with knowledge of the matter" as sources.

While a handful of bidders have stepped forward to buy minority piece of Yahoo, which is apparently the company's preference, Alibaba appears to be aiming to acquire all of … Read more

Investment firm Silver Lake has offered Yahoo $16.60 per share to buy a minority stake in the online giant, Bloomberg is reporting, citing sources.

Silver Lake seems unwilling to bet too much on Yahoo, though. Yahoo's stock closed yesterday at $15.70. If Yahoo accepts the deal, it would be agreeing to a paltry 6 percent premium on its stock price and a valuation of about $20.6 billion.

That said, Bloomberg's sources also said that Silver Lake has been outbid by another offer from investment firm TPG Capital. The sources didn't say how much TPG … Read more

As bidding for Yahoo comes down to the wire, reports say that Microsoft will indeed be among the suitors and that Web browser pioneer Marc Andreessen is considering taking on the task of executive chairman at Yahoo as part of an offer.

The New York Times' DealBook blog reported a consortium of investors led by Silver Lake and Microsoft is among several groups submitting bids for a minority stake in Yahoo today. The Times, which cited "people briefed on the matter," also reported that Yahoo's financial advisers, Allen & Company and Goldman Sachs, set the end of … Read more

Google has petitioned the European Union's executive arm for approval of its Motorola Mobility merger, but don't expect a decision this year.

According to information posted today on the European Commission's Web site, Google provided official notification on Friday about its planned merger. In response, the European Commission has promised to review the merger over the next several weeks and to make a decision about the deal by January 10.

Google announced plans earlier this year to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. In addition to the European Union's approval, Google must get a nod … Read more

Microsoft has decided to sign a non-disclosure agreement with Yahoo as it ponders a bid for the struggling Internet giant, according to the New York Times.

The paper's DealBook blog reported this morning that Microsoft joins a handful of other potential suitors--including private equity firms Silver Lake and TPG Capital--that have agreed to sign the non-disclosure paperwork in order to look over Yahoo's books.

It's unlikely that Microsoft would bid for Yahoo alone. Even though the company launched a failed $44.6 billion attempt to acquire the company in 2008, it won most of what it was … Read more

Microsoft has acquired video search engine VideoSurf, several reports claim.

According to Israel-based news outlet Globes, Microsoft has acquired VideoSurf for "tens of millions of dollars." In a follow-up report, TechCrunch Europe cited an anonymous source who claimed Microsoft acquired the company for $70 million.

Neither Microsoft nor VideoSurf immediately responded to CNET's request for confirmation of the deal.

If Microsoft did, in fact, acquire VideoSurf, the company will likely be used to improve Bing. VideoSurf allows users to search for video content around the Web from a host of sources, including Hulu, Dailymotion, Comedy Central, and … Read more

eBay has bought recommendation engine Hunch for an undisclosed sum, the companies announced today.

New York-based Hunch launched in 2009 as a place to find personalized recommendations on a range of topics, including video games, movies, and technology, based on a user's personal preferences. In order to make recommendations, Hunch asks a series of multiple-choice questions. Upon choosing an answer, the service learns a bit more about the user, and offers up some topics or products they might like based on that.

Although Hunch and eBay don't look like a perfect match at first glance, it appears that … Read more

Motorola Mobility's shareholders have overwhelmingly voted to approve Google's $12.5 billion acquisition of the company.

During a special stockholders meeting today, about 99 percent of the shares voting today approved adoption of the merger agreement, the company said. Those shares represent approximately 74 percent of the company's outstanding common shares.

"We are pleased and gratified by the strong support we have received from our stockholders, with more than 99 percent of the voting shares voting in support of the transaction," Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha said in a statement.

The merger was originally expected … Read more

Amazon snapped up the voice startup Yap two months ago, a new filing revealed.

The Atlantic today reported the purchase, which took place in September but wasn't formally announced at the time, from a filing with the SEC (PDF).

Amazon is not named in the document, but the Atlantic tracked the address of the "surviving company" back to a building in Seattle that's owned by Amazon.

Yap came onto the scene in 2007 with technology that could transcribe voice commands into text. The service was originally aimed at teens who did a lot of texting, and … Read more