What does it take to merge Google, Yahoo and MSN?

Just when we thought that the search world is becoming dormant, the breaking news of Google, Yahoo and MSN joining hands, exploded the Internet industry circuits. For some, this is too big a news to digest. It sure is, after all Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft, hitherto, have been known to battle over search and platform restrictive productivity enhancements. Or could it be a giant merger-for-altruism with these three forces combining in order to create exclusive platforms that impart authentic, unbiased information along with being globally accessible. Also the long running friction between Microsoft and Google holds some significance in this context.

Hitwise has studied the vital statistics of all these organisations involved and the analysis seem quite interesting. Google rules the search world with 65.98 percent share in the month of January with Yahoo and Microsoft following at 27.84 percent. But then, web is not only about search. There are many international arenas in which Yahoo still dominates. It still is the numero uno in e-mail with 54.63 percent U.S. market share with Google falling behind at 5.51 percent. Yahoo News and Yahoo Finance on the other hand boast of 7.38 and 29.15 percent respectively.

The bitter rivalry between Microsoft and Google has been a bone of contention for the mainstream press over many years now. Both these organisations are kings in terms of global goodwill and business potential in their respective domains of software and search. Each of them has been competing for the much coveted audience and talent share as well.

Trade analysts who often compare search and revenue with Google have been giving Yahoo a hard time by declaring it legally dead. Apparently, Microsoft came across the table with their own offer while Yahoo was still contemplating buyout and merger plans. And when Yahoo did not respond to the offer fast enough Big Blue came out with it in the open that gave it an ugly face.

In an attempt to denounce the hostile takeover by Microsoft ,Google has, in the most unlikely of happenings, decided to support Yahoo. There is still some fog in the Internet Industry as to what this Yahoocrosoft promises but isn’t it quite obvious that there must have been some strategy behind the Yahoo buyout? But on the flip side there are the brutal realities that any giant merger brings about- mass loss of jobs followed by the painful consolidations and headaches for the consumers for next one or two years. Surprisingly enough, in the PR arena these combatants are seen declaring themselves as the "tech providers of the people". When it could just be a mere race for moolah and just that!

Yahoo can come together with Google, sell to AOL, or might as well continue alone safely sidelining Microsoft. Whatever it be, the news circuit is going to stay abuzz in the near future. We just hope that the point of Altruism (on which it all started) doesn’t get missed in this entire hullabaloo.