Yahoo Directors Will Be the Ultimate Arbiters of Microsoft’s Buyout Offer’s Fate

(NewsVisual, powered by IntellectSpace) -- After several months of suspense, Yahoo Inc (NASDAQ:YHOO) and Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) could soon be entering the final act of their buyout drama, with a final decision possibly being only days away.

“Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, told employees on Thursday that the company would announce in 'short order' which of three paths it would choose in its pursuit of Yahoo,” The New York Times reported in an online article on Friday.

For its part, Yahoo also has not foreclosed itself from entering into a merger:

“But Jerry Yang, Yahoo’s chief executive, has said his company is not opposed to selling to Microsoft for more,” The Times article reported.

Yahoo rejected Microsoft’s initial bid price of $31 per share as to low, and the speculation in the news media is that Microsoft will offer a higher price for the Silicon Valley Company.

But whatever Microsoft decides to offer, it’s inevitable that it will be Yahoo’s Directors who make the final decision concerning the proposed deal’s fate.

NewsVisual created an IntellectSpace Knowledge Map in order to illustrate the business connections of Yahoo’s Board of Directors as a method for assessing their knowledge of business and for determining whether they can make a wise decision on how to resolve the buyout issue with Microsoft.

The Knowledge Map shows that Chairman Roy Bostock also serves on the board of Morgan Stanley and is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Northwest Airlines Corp.

The following Yahoo Directors also have strong board room experience:

Director Eirc Hippeau is also a Director for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Inc; Director Robert Kotick is also the CEO/Chairman of Activision Inc; CEO/Co-Founder Jerry Yang also sits on the board of Cisco Systems Inc and Alibaba Inc; and Director Edward Kozel also serves on the board of Network Appliance Inc.

Click here for a fuller and an interactive version of this IntellectSpace Knowledge Map.

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