Yang loses his Google escape route
Brin, Page and Schmidt have cut and run on Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang. Word is Google execs visited with Yang and the Yahoo board last week and encouraged them to say no to Microsoft's offer. As incentive to do so, Google is said to have offered to take over Yahoo search and immediately boost the floundering company's cash flow. On Monday, Yang officially rejected Microsoft's offer. But now that Yang and the board face a proxy fight with Microsoft, these Google executives are suddenly less interested in bailing Yahoo out, the WSJ reports. Sources tell the paper that the Googlers' enthusiam waned as antitrust worries waxed. But we wonder if all Google wanted in the first place was to keep Microsoft and Yahoo from doing anything quickly.