Ex-News Corp. boss won't rule out buying Yahoo!

October 21, 2011

Former News Corp. boss Peter Chernin said Friday he will not rule out buying Yahoo! but suggested the time was not right, amid intense speculation on the future of the struggling US Internet giant.

"I won't rule out anything," Chernin told the All Things Digital AsiaD technology conference sponsored by the Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong.

"But on the other hand it seems like such a confusing situation right now that it doesn't seem like the right place for investment."

Chernin, the former president of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., founded the Chernin Group and Chernin Entertainment after he stepped down in 2009.

He was rumoured to be among a number of groups making a bid for !.

US software giant Microsoft and China's Alibaba Group have also reportedly expressed interest in Yahoo! or its assets.

Chernin's comments come a day after Alibaba Group chairman Jack Ma urged Yahoo! to make up its mind, saying he was expecting an answer from the US firm within weeks to his long-standing offer to buy all or part of web giant.

The Wall Street Journal also reported on Thursday that Microsoft has teamed up with Silver Lake Partners and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for a multi-billion-dollar offer to purchase Yahoo!.

The newspaper said at least nine private equity firms are eyeing Yahoo!, which has 700 million monthly visitors to its various websites, including Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance and Yahoo! Sports.

Once seen as the Internet's leading light, Yahoo! has struggled to build a strongly profitable, growing business out of its huge web presence and global audience.

(c) 2011 AFP


Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Browser wars flare in mobile space

The browser wars are heating up again, but this time the fight is for dominance of the mobile Internet.

Technology / Software

created 8 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 3

Probability of contamination from severe nuclear reactor accidents is higher than expected: study

Catastrophic nuclear accidents such as the core meltdowns in Chernobyl and Fukushima are more likely to happen than previously assumed. Based on the operating hours of all civil nuclear reactors and the number ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created May 22, 2012 | popularity 3.6 / 5 (22) | comments 56 | with audio podcast

SpotterRF debuts Radar Backpack Kit (w/ Video)

(Phys.org) -- SpotterRF has announced a special radar backpack kit designed to enhance situational awareness for soldiers on the ground. The company says its special radar is designed for warfighters as part ...

Technology / Hi Tech & Innovation

created May 26, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 13 | with audio podcast report

HyperSolar shows dirty water no barrier to power world

(Phys.org) -- The Santa Barbara, California, company, HyperSolar, is set to transparently share the ups and downs of its research experiences toward the company’s ultimate vision, successfully producing ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created May 24, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (16) | comments 17 | with audio podcast report

Tesla to launch electric sedan in US on June 22

Tesla Motors said Tuesday it would begin deliveries of "the world's first premium electric sedan" on June 22, slightly ahead of schedule.

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created May 22, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (12) | comments 18


Computer model used to pinpoint prime materials for efficient carbon capture

When power plants begin capturing their carbon emissions to reduce greenhouse gases – and to most in the electric power industry, it's a question of when, not if – it will be an expensive undertaking.

'Unzipped' carbon nanotubes could help energize fuel cells, batteries

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes riddled with defects and impurities on the outside could replace some of the expensive platinum catalysts used in fuel cells and metal-air batteries, according to scientists at ...

T cells 'hunt' parasites like animal predators seek prey, study shows

By pairing an intimate knowledge of immune-system function with a deep understanding of statistical physics, a cross-disciplinary team at the University of Pennsylvania has arrived at a surprising finding: T cells use a movement ...

Yale study concludes public apathy over climate change unrelated to science literacy

Are members of the public divided about climate change because they don't understand the science behind it? If Americans knew more basic science and were more proficient in technical reasoning, would public consensus match ...

Same gene that stunts infants' growth also makes them grow too big: research

UCLA geneticists have identified the mutation responsible for IMAGe* syndrome, a rare disorder that stunts infants' growth. The twist? The mutation occurs on the same gene that causes Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, which makes ...

Change in developmental timing was crucial in the evolutionary shift from dinosaurs to birds: study

At first glance, it's hard to see how a common house sparrow and a Tyrannosaurus Rex might have anything in common. After all, one is a bird that weighs less than an ounce, and the other is a dinosaur that ...