Dan

Senior executives from Microsoft and Yahoo powwowed this week to discuss Redmond's $44.6 billion offer to acquire Yahoo, according to The Wall Street Journal. The reported gathering could bring the companies closer to agreement. Executives from the companies had not met to discuss Microsoft's Jan. 31 offer since Yahoo rejected it in February.
Citing "people familiar with the matter," the Journal reported that Monday's meeting wasn't a negotiation, and no bankers attended. Instead, Yahoo allowed Microsoft to present its vision of a merged company at a location near Yahoo's Sunnyvale, Calif., headquarters.
Yahoo executives reportedly listened, but further talks were not scheduled. It remains unclear, the Journal reported, whether Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer were present at the meeting.
A Well-Timed Talk?
The talks come a week after Yahoo amended its bylaws to extend the deadline for nominating directors to its board from March 14 to 10 days after the public announcement of the date for its annual meeting of stockholders.
The amendment gives stockholders who want to nominate one or more directors, including Microsoft, more time. The extension also lets Yahoo pursue alternatives to a Microsoft takeover.
When Yahoo's board unanimously rejected Microsoft's offer, it said it would not even consider discussing acquisition possibilities unless Microsoft anted up at least $12 billion more. Microsoft will not offer more money, the Journal reported, unless it gets a closer look at Yahoo's books.
That's when talk of a hostile takeover began, and Microsoft seems determined. The company hired Bear Stearns CEO Alan Schwartz, along with Morgan Stanley and Blackstone Group, to help it acquire Yahoo.
Meanwhile, Yahoo began holding talks with other potential buyers, including News Corp. and Time Warner. News Corp. said earlier this week that it would not wrestle with Microsoft for Yahoo.
Is Yahoo Worth the Price?
Even at with the...

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