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My Trenchant Analysis on the Facebook $6 Billion Acquisition by Microsoft Rumor

Um. No.

ballmer

But let me be more specific: Is Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer that scared of Google?

I hope not, for his sake.

And yesterday at Fortune’s iMeme conference, someone poked his finger at me and essentially said I was not right in previous posts like this to insist that Facebook show us a glimpse of its awesome ad business, rather than just how much everyone just out of college, among the press and in Silicon Valley likes to use it.

“Facebook could turn on its marketing might in a minute and make a mountain of money,” he said, using too many m’s for my taste, which is all I could focus on rather than his hypothetical point. “They could do it anytime.”

OK, then, bring it on! Drown me in cool interactive Coke ads! Send iTunes freebies my way! Everyone loves a good “Harry Potter” trailer, even if it is shoved down their throats all day. Is there a way you can get a digital version of Lucky Charms to appear, because they are magically delicious.

That is all.

You may all talk among yourselves now.

Comments

  1. Kara,

    You might be right. But any company with an graphical ad network (MSFT, GOOG, YHOO) could get more value out of the audience on facebook. Not enough to justify 6b.. I mean 10b, but a lot. Whoever has that much money lying around could jump to the front of the online brand advertising queue.

    Secondly, keep writing posts in this tone. It’s very entertaining.

    Posted by shanan delp at July 13th, 2007 at 1:42 pm

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About Kara

Kara Swisher started covering digital issues for The Wall Street Journal's San Francisco bureau in 1997 and also wrote the BoomTown column about the sector. With Walt Mossberg, she co-produces and co-hosts D: All Things Digital, a major high-tech and media conference.

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Ethics Statement

Here is a statement of my ethics and coverage policies. It is more than most of you want to know, but, in the age of suspicion of the media, I am laying it all out.

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