Breaking news from the NY Times: Microsoft Bids $44.6 Billion for Yahoo By MIGUEL HELFT Published: February 1, 2008 SAN FRANCISCO — In a bold move to counter Google’s online pre-eminence, Microsoft said Friday that it had made an unsolicited offer to buy Yahoo for about $44.6 billion in a mix of cash and stock. If consummated, the deal would redraw the competitive landscape in Internet consumer servi Breaking news from the NY Times:Microsoft Bids $44.6 Billion for Yahoo By MIGUEL HELFTPublished: February 1, 2008 SAN FRANCISCO — In a bold move to counter Google’s online pre-eminence, Microsoft said Friday that it had made an unsolicited offer to buy Yahoo for about $44.6 billion in a mix of cash and stock. If consummated, the deal would redraw the competitive landscape in Internet consumer services, where both Microsoft and Yahoo have both struggled to compete with Google. The offer of $31 a share represents a 62 percent premium over Yahoo’s closing stock price of $19.18 on Thursday. It would be Microsoft’s largest acquisition ever. …Our IDG News Service coverage of this is here. Software Development