Thursday, December 11, 2008

Icahn Tells Yahoo to 'Stop Dancing Around,' Sell (Update2)

Billionaire Carl Icahn said 's board should ''stop dance around'' and offering to sell
the Internet company to for $49.5 billion, or 11
percent more than the software system maker's original bid.

Icahn, who threatened to throw out managers if they didn't
reach a trade with Microsoft, escalated a bicker with
Chairman over a rupture program that Icahn states drove
its suer away. He suggested a terms of $34.375 a share,
compared with the $31 Microsoft offered in January.

''I again name upon you to honour your fiducial duty to
your ,'' he said in a missive to Bostock released
today.

Icahn, backed by stockholders such as as hedge-fund manager
and BP Capital LLC President T. ,
contends a combination is the lone manner the two companies can
compete with , the leader in Internet hunt traffic. Icahn criticized Head Executive Military Officer 's attempts to
complete an option dealing with Microsoft, saying he
will decline to negociate a trade worth less than $33 a share.

''Icahn is saying to , 'You desire to be in the
advertising business, you necessitate to purchase the full Yahoo
company,''' ICAP analyst said in an interview. ''A
full acquisition is in the best involvement of both companies.''
Jersey City, New Jersey-based Shah counsels investors to buy
Yahoo stock and doesn't ain any.

Yahoo rose 24 cents to $26.60 at 1:47 p.m. New House Of York clip in
Nasdaq Stock Market . The stock had risen 13 percentage this
year before today. Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft dropped
36 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $27.94.

Yahoo's Response

Yahoo responded today by saying that Icahn's suggestion to
publicly offer itself up is ''ill-advised,'' and that the
company is unfastened to any deal, including a coup d'etat by Microsoft,
if it's in the best involvement of investors.

Microsoft spokesman declined to comment.

Icahn owned 10 million shares of Yokel and options to buy
an further 49 million as of May 15. He have claimed that the
sabotaged Microsoft's efforts to take over the company
and have nominated nine managers to replace them in the Aug. 1
annual meeting.

The campaigners include himself, former Viacom Inc. chief
., Dallas Mavericks basketball game squad proprietor , , , , ,
and . , chief executive officer of Icahn
Partners LP, was dropped from the slate after Yokel narrowed its
board rank to nine from 10.

Icahn's Accusation

In today's letter, Icahn accused Yang of using an employee
severance program to discourage Microsoft, saying the move would have
cost the software system shaper a ''staggering $2.4 billion'' if it had
pursued a command at $35 a .

''You neglected to advert that the true cost to an
acquirer may be even higher as the perverse alteration in control
severance inducements may decrease the work attempt of
employees,'' Icahn said.

Microsoft's initial cash-and-stock bid was 62 percentage more
than Yahoo's stock at the time. chief executive officer later
offered as much as $33 a share, which Yang deemed to low,
prompting Microsoft to trash the command May 3.

Buying Yokel would have got helped Microsoft ternary its share
of U.S. Web searches, fueling from Internet advertising. That still wouldn't be adequate to wrest the Pb from Mountain
View, California-based , which commands almost two-thirds
of Internet questions in that country.

''After careful consideration, we believe the economics
demanded by Yahoo! do not make sense for us,'' Ballmer, 52, said
in a missive to the company.

Other Deals?

Microsoft said later that it would prosecute an alternative
transaction with Yokel and reserved the right to eventually
attempt another . Icahn, 72, said that if he gains
control of the board, he will cut off negotiation on alternative
transactions unless they vouch investors will acquire at least
$33.

If Microsoft neglects to renew its advances, he bes after to seek
a partnership with on Web searches, as long as the
agreement wouldn't forestall Yokel from a amalgamation with the software
maker later.

Icahn have a amalgamated record in placeholder fights. His attempt to
break up Time Charles Dudley Warner Inc. failed in 2006, while earlier this
year he successfully pushed software system shaper BEA Systems Inc. to
accept an $8.5 billion coup d'etat offering from Prophet Corp.

The investor said he will replace Yang if he acquires control,
moving him back to the Head Yokel function he held while former CEO
was in place. Yang co-founded more than a
decade ago when he and created ''Jerry and David's
Guide to the World Wide Web'' arsenic alumnus pupils at Stanford
University.

To reach the newsman on this story:
in New House Of York at

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