Comments

• SubSónica

  2008-02-12 08:07:34

  Cambiar Investors is one Microsoft shareholder that liquidated its holdings after the Yahoo buyout bid news. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6229990.html?tag=nl.e550 "We...liquidated on the news," said Brian Barish, Cambiar president. "Microsoft knows even less about the Internet than Yahoo. I can't see how they can make the business better."
  
  I am sure many more Microsoft shareholders thinks the same. I also think they might not be very happy to invest in a business whose CEO make statements like "I will make you an offer you can't refuse..."
  
  Notice also how the article talks about "proxie" practices as something usual at Microsoft....

• Roy Schestowitz

  2008-02-12 08:30:53

  Yes, there is clearly a long history there. One classic example I can think of is this:
  
  http://boycottnovell.com/2007/09/03/attack-group-novell-corel/
  
  I could find several more if you are interested, but this one is particularly relevant because Novell is directly involved. I try not to cover the Yahoo story in this site (link digests being the exception) because it might lead to lost focus.
  
  What is more fascinating is the fact that Microsoft is quite likely bribing (it would call it something else like "providing incentives") shareholders to have many guns on pointed at the board. It loosely relates to Novell's entanglements with Microsoft and some other cases (Linspire comes to mind) where pressure and intimidation took their toll.