Connections Between Google and Yahoo Create Alliance Against Microsoft

(NewsVisual, powered by IntellectSpace )-- Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) may be far from rivaling Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT) in a takeover of Yahoo Inc (NASDAQ: YHOO), though that likely won’t stop the web giant from becoming deeply involved in the situation.

No counter offers have yet been made to challenge Microsoft’s unsolicited $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo, which could potentially make the deal a sure thing and boost Microsoft’s web presence as a serious competitor to Google. Due to regulatory concerns, it is doubtful that Google will make a competing offer,  however the company could be strategizing other manuevers to keep Microsoft from acquiring Yahoo.

In order to identify how the companies may be collaborating to challenge Microsoft, NewsVisual created an IntellectSpace Knowledge Map of the notable relationships held between key Directors and Executives at Yahoo and Google.

Yahoo Chairman/CEO Jerry Yang and Google Director John L Hennessy are shown to be closely linked, as both are currently Directors at Cisco. In another set of current common connections, Yahoo President Susan L Decker is a Director at Intel, where Google Director Paul S Otellini is the CEO and President. Decker was also previously a Director at Pixar around the same time as Ann Mather (Director of Google), who was previously the film animation company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

As Google feels the pressure of the possible loss of its top spot in web-based searches and advertising, it is likely that these relationships with Yahoo will become extremely valuable in formulating a strategy to thwart Microsoft’s efforts

Readers, how do you think Google will ultimately handle the situation, and do you think that it will be enough to keep Microsoft at bay?

Click here or copy this link into your Internet Explorer browser for an interactive version of this IntellectSpace Knowledge Map: http://nv.intellectspace.com/ispace/GuestMonitor.aspx?id=99194459-349b-4646-83b7-644dc6e29777

See article by Kevin J Delaney and Matthew Karnitschnig in The Wall Street Journal

Note: The information contained in Knowledge Maps is public information from the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America.