Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Ask.com’s Newest Offer: Discount Search
Barry Diller has tried just about every gambit possible to boost his Ask.com search engine, but he keeps coming up with more. The latest: Coupons.
All posts tagged ‘Microsoft’
Monday, October 5, 2009
Microsoft Says It’s Done Buying Search. Writing Big Checks for Search? Different Story.
Steve Ballmer says he doesn’t expect to do much search-related M&A, which makes sense since there’s little left to buy. But he may be willing to pay for search. Ask AOL.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Early Twitter Backer Union Square Sits This One Out
Not included in the long list of investors betting $100 million on Twitter today: Union Square Ventures, one of the messaging service’s most prominent backers. What happened? Best guess: The $1 billion valuation priced the early investor out.
Some More Positive Murmurs for Web Ads
More upbeat–but not too ecstatic–chatter about the state of the Internet advertising market this morning from Wall Street: Barclays Capital analyst Douglas Anmuth is raising his estimates for Google, citing “improving macro conditions [and] a stronger ad market.” Other online advertising bulls: Investors, who have been pushing up Google stock for months, and CEO Eric Schmidt, who has declared that the worst is over.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Nondeal of the Day: Microsoft Says It’s Not Buying Electronic Arts
There’s going to be a lot of buying and selling in the coming months, but here’s one deal that’s not happening: Contrary to market-moving rumors, Microsoft isn’t acquiring videogame giant Electronic Arts. Anyone else want to take a shot?
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tablet Schmablet: How About a Mud PC?
The new Wondertablet the guys at Gizmodo showed off last night looks cool. But you can’t actually touch one right now unless you know someone very connected at Microsoft. But you know what you can touch? Today? A PC you control by shoving your hands in a box full of mud. All you have to do is get yourself to Gizmodo’s awesome gadget gallery in New York during the next few days.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Yahoo’s Bartz: Microsoft Deal Was “Very Clever”
More from the post-Q&A Q&A: Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz says major investors like Gordon Crawford support her, and that she’s in the market for medium-sized M&A. Here’s what she had to say.
Live From New York: Yahoo Introduces “You”
CEO Carol Bartz explains what Yahoo is getting for its $100 million ad campaign, its first global marketing effort, which was launched today in New York during Advertising Week.
Here’s the rundown of Bartz’s press conference on the branding blowout.
More Money for Ad Tech: Rubicon Project Raises $9 Million
Start-ups whose business plans are based on selling advertising are having a very hard time raising money. But start-ups that want to make money by helping other people sell advertising? That’s another story.
Today’s example: Rubicon Project, a Los Angeles-based advertising-optimization start-up, has raised a $9 million C round led by Peacock Equity, the joint venture co-owned by GE Capital and GE’s NBC Universal.
More Modest Results for Microsoft’s Marketing Blitz. Now It’s Yahoo’s Turn.
Another month, another half-point: Microsoft’s search market share crept up again in August, according to the newest numbers from comScore. Since Steve Ballmer and company launched Bing at the end of May with a $100 million marketing push, they’ve moved from eight percent to 9.3 percent. So: If you’re Yahoo, and you’re about to kick off a Bing-sized marketing blitz of your own, do those numbers give you encouragement or pause?
Monday, September 21, 2009
AOL: More Org Chart Shuffles Coming; So Are Ad Dollars. But Mum on Microsoft.
CEO Tim Armstrong says he’s still overhauling the Internet company in advance of its spinoff from Time Warner, but he has hopeful noises to make about ad sales. He has nothing, however, to say about chats with Microsoft.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Microsoft Goes Hunting for Malvertisers. Are They the Same Guys Who Hacked the New York Times?
The hackers who duped the New York Times into serving a bogus ad last week may be part of a growing trend. Or they may just be very active: Microsoft says it has been hit by a similar attack and is suing the people behind it.
But first the company needs to figure out who the culprits are.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Twitter Goes for Broke, if Broke Means “A Lot of Money”: New Funding Round at $1 Billion Valuation
Is Twitter a billion-dollar company? It is now, according to its investors. People familiar with the company tell me it has raised around $50 million in a funding round that values the start-up, which has no real revenue to speak of, at about $1 billion.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Here Comes the Google Ad Exchange
Google is about to flip the switch on its long-awaited Ad Exchange.
The search giant will reportedly open up its AdX service, which is supposed to bring together ad buyers and sellers the same way a stock market does, within the next two weeks. AdX isn’t a surprise, but it is a big deal.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Google Swaps Out China Bosses
Kai-Fu Lee, the head of Google’s China operations, is leaving the company this month to start his own company. Lee had a four-year run that began with a bang: Google poached him from Microsoft in 2005, which kicked off a legal battle between the two rivals.
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About Peter
Peter Kafka has been covering media and technology since 1997, when he joined the staff of Forbes magazine. Most recently, he has been the managing editor of the tech and media Web site, Silicon Alley Insider. Read more »
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