SEVERAL days ago we showed that Microsoft was partly accountable for many layoffs at Yahoo!. Those layoffs harmed Free software projects (developers whom Yahoo! paid to improve this software until Microsoft came and funnelled everything in north America to its Windows servers).

“To Microsoft, the cheap destruction of Yahoo! was beneficial on many fronts.”Microsoft is technically weak and ethically corrupt, which is why Yahoo! hardly exists anymore as a search engine (Microsoft killed it as an option to many). How is that beneficial to anyone? Less choice, worse for the world, due to less competition over price and quality. The Microsoft boosters are currently bragging about Microsoft Bong [sic] being a threat. Microsoft loses billions of dollar there every years, most recently because it bribes users. Some other publications carry this story [1, 2] and the bribes are a subject we'll deal with in a separate post.

The Microsoft fan press praises the Yahoo!-Microsoft alliance (which old Yahoo! was forced into after its former staff was pressured out/overthrown), but looking outside the financial Web sites we find that "Advertisers May See Rate Hike of Up To 78%"

"The Yahoo-Microsoft Deal Is About To Wreak Havoc In The Search Ad Market" says this one headline and another goes like this: "Ad prices may spike under Yahoo, Microsoft deal, report says"

How is that a good thing? Had it not been for intense AstroTurfing by Microsoft (it was confirmed that they had hired AstroTurfers), Yahoo! would not be happier with Google, still running its traditional stack with a lot of Free software and employed individuals who improve and increase software freedom. To Microsoft, the cheap destruction of Yahoo! was beneficial on many fronts. What a malicious corporation. ⬆