Microsoft prepared to walk away from its bid for Yahoo

Microsoft Corp is prepared to walk away from its $43.6 billion bid for Yahoo Inc if the two sides can’t agree on a price, Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said.
Speaking at a technology conference near Milan, Ballmer said Yahoo’s better-than-expected first-quarter results, reported, have not changed Microsoft’s view of Yahoo’s value.
Microsoft sees Yahoo as a way to compete with arch-rival Google Inc in the Internet search and advertising arena, but it has limits to what it is willing to pay to get a deal done.
“We’re prepared to move forward without a merger with Yahoo,” Ballmer said. “We think the best way to move forward quickly (and gain critical mass against Google) is to come together with Yahoo.”

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Continental and United Airlines Are Closer to a Merger

United Airlines and Continental Airlines are getting closer to a merger agreement and would like to wrap up a deal by the end of next week, people with direct knowledge of the discussions said Friday.

The negotiations, which have been under way for months, accelerated after Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines announced a $3 billion deal on April 14 that would create the nation’s biggest air carrier.

The talks between United and Continental are in an advanced stage but are not yet complete, the people who had been briefed on them said. They requested anonymity because the talks were private.

The two airlines would like to be finished by Thursday, these people added, although the negotiations could easily run into delays.

As with Delta and Northwest, United and Continental would like to win regulatory approval before President Bush leaves office rather than risk delays that could take place under a new president.

Continental is getting ready to provide details of any possible deal, at least if its Web page is any indication.

The airline, based in Houston, has posted a link on its home page to a new part of its site that looks as if it can be transformed into a merger information page, as soon as a deal occurs.

The page went live on April 15, a Continental spokesman, Dave Messing, said Friday, but only began attracting attention this week.

Mr. Messing declined to comment further. A United spokeswoman, Jean Medina, said the company did not comment on “rumors or speculation.”

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