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- Gates Denies Google Talks
Posted on November 18, 2003
Microsoft
chairman Bill Gates said his company never made an offer
to buy Google, contrary to several recent news reports.
In an interview
published in yesterday's USA Today, Gates denied reports
that Google spurned a Microsoft offer to buy it. Several
news outlets, including USA Today, reported the acquisition
offer. The New York Times first reported the Microsoft-Google
merger discussions Oct. 31.
"We've never been in any talks
with Google about an acquisition thing in any way, shape
or form," Gates told USA Today.
Gates' flat denial of acquisition
talks comes after the report touched off rampant speculation
about what such a move would mean for Microsoft, Google
and the search sector. Most industry analysts questioned
whether such a deal could work, given the companies'
vastly different cultures and Google's anticipated stock
offering valuing the company at more than $15 billion.
Microsoft and Google declined comment on the speculation.
In the past year, Microsoft has invested
heavily on building an algorithmic search technology
to rival Google's. Last week, Google rolled out a desktop
search function widely seen as a preliminary move against
Microsoft's plans to integrate search into the next
version of its Windows operating system.
It should be noted that Gates has
denied acquisition talks in the past which have materialized.
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