Microsoft vs. Google: Crazy acquisition strategies?
UPDATE: Microsoft to Google: Play fair with your billions
Sound crazy? Another crazy DoubleClick fallout hypothesis: The losers were only interested in spying on DoubleClick operations.
Would a Morgan Stanley managed multi-billion dollar sale of a competitively sensitive privately held business owned by professional investors really be run like an anything goes garage game of poker?
Would publicly traded, SEC and Sarbanes-Oxley sensitive multi-billion dollar businesses really conduct themselves as if they were playing in the garage game?
Doubtful.
Is Google crazy for opening up its cash purse strings, big time, for the first time?
No, even though such a move goes against its own preferred, self-described Google “crazy” investment approach, as I analyze in Google buyouts are BAD business.
The big number all cash deal also goes against Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s own pronouncements to Wall Street just weeks ago, as I dissect in Google DoubleClick merger: Who wins, who loses, noting that Schmidt may have actually mislead his own investors last month about Google’s intentions vis a vis the likelihood of just such a high-ticket all cash buyout.
Moral of the DoubleClick story for Google? I conclude in Google DoubleClick marriage (can be) risky business:
The Google DoubleClick marriage will be risky, but Google is more likely to successfully finesse the integration of an online advertising firm into its business model, than it has been able to do following its stock acquisition of video hosting site YouTube and its earn-out buy-out of radio technology service dMarc Broadcasting.
dMarc Broadcasting, YouTube, DoubleClick…? Google finally ponied up to make a serious acquisition in the DoubleClick transaction.
Not surprisingly, a serious deal yields serious opportunity!
Did Microsoft miss a "crazy" acquisition boat? SEE Microsoft vs. Google: Will MSN, Windows Live compete?
MORE OF MY SPECIAL IN-DEPTH DOUBLECLICK ACQUISITION ANALYSIS:
Google: $3.1 billion cash for Web monopoly!
Google to tag users across Web: Privacy Boomerang?
Google: Technology driven or people driven?
Google hurts Yahoo with DoubleClick deal