Microsoft give its first hint that it may abandon its $ 44.6 billion bid for Yahoo , as it near the deadline for a threatened procurator struggle to oust Yahoo ’s plank .
At a conference in Milan on Wednesday , chief executive officer Steve Ballmer say Microsoft is “ prepared to move forward without merging with Yahoo , ” according to a transcript allow for by the company .
Ballmer again repeated that acquiring Yahoo is essential for enabling Microsoft to succeed in the online advertising business , where both company have been chasing Google .
“ Today Google has the lead , there ’s no question about it and I wanna make certain that they have great deal of competition , ” Ballmer say . “ We recollect the best way to move that ahead quickly is to come together with Yahoo . I trust that it work , but if it does n’t we go forward alone . ”
Yahoo has maintained it has take the offer but claims it devaluate the fellowship . Both troupe have traded sharp barb in successive public letter over the deal .
Since Microsoft ’s offering became public Feb. 1 , Yahoo has scrambled to depict itself as a quick company with possible and meliorate financial performance .
On Tuesday , Yahoo report final income of $ 542 million , or 37 cents per share , for its first quarter of 2008 . That ’s up from $ 142 million , or 10 cent per share , from the same catamenia a year earlier .
Yahoo has court other suitors , include Time Warner ’s AOL , as a potential uniting partner for resist off Microsoft . Yahoo alsostruck an agreementwith Microsoft ’s arch nemesis , Google , to display Google ’s text advertizement next to Yahoo searches for a trial period of around two weeks .
Further complicate the wad were rumors that Microsoft was in lecture with News Corp. , owner of theWall Street Journaland the societal networking website MySpace , to make a joint play for Yahoo .
