Yahoo: search partner will need "boatloads of money"

 

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By Reuters

Posted on 28 May 2009 at 08:39

Yahoo's chief executive claims that any company looking at buying or utilising Yahoo's search will require "boatloads of money".

Clearly, Microsoft falls into this bracket and speaking at the All Things Digital conference Carol Bartz admitted the two companies were talking "a little bit" about a search deal.

She would not reveal further information on what was under discussion, though it's been suggested that a deal would see Microsoft managing Yahoo's search advertising business and Yahoo handling display ads across Microsoft's websites.

"There's two parties in all this," said Bartz. "The other party has to have a boatload of money and the right technology, and give us the right data and so forth. It's that simple."

Since taking the top job, Bartz has moved swiftly to revamp Yahoo, cutting jobs, shuttering certain products and reorganising the management structure. However, she says the company's array of web products, including Yahoo mail and its home page, remain the key assets that will return the company to growth.

"We are positioned as a place where people come to be informed; not just informed through a search, but informed through great content, with great editorial and great integration and a very local feel," Bartz said at the conference taking place in San Diego.

Bartz took the reins at Yahoo in January, replacing co-founder Jerry Yang in the wake of Yahoo's rejection of a $47.5 billion acquisition bid from Microsoft.