It seems to a season of merger speculations. Here are three proposed mergers that people are talking about…
Google + Intuit. Nick Carr wants Google to accelerate its software-as-a-service attack into the small-business by buying Intuit. QuickBooks, Quicken and QuickBase will flesh out its portfolio and rope in new customers. The debate on this is just getting underway.
Microsoft + Yahoo. Jeremy Schoemaker broached this in mid-Dec listing 10 reasons why MS will acquire Yahoo in 2007. Basically he suggests that this is the only way for the two of them to compete with Google. While the speculation has remained alive, not everybody buys into the idea.
Apple + Adobe. Jeff Nolan floated this idea recently. He thinks that Photoshop can help sagging Mac sales. He also suggests that Apple will be able to better promote Apollo and together they can redefine the web application space. Apple has the $12b cash horde to do the transaction. Yet there are cynics aplenty.
Ironically, in the midst of this sappy talk about potential mergers, there is a strong rumor doing the rounds about private equity buyout of Symantec. If this buyout happens, it will, in effect, unwind the VERITAS – Symantec merger of 2005. It’s a reminder that big mergers often don’t work out in the long run!
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