The fact that Bebo was sold for $850 million (a surprisingly low amount according to most analysts out there) to AOL definitely represents the highlight of the week, and that makes one wonder: where on Earth have the other big players been?
If we take MySpace as an example, a company which was also sold way below what it was worth if we take its potential into consideration (the folks over at News Corp are most likely congratulating themselves for their decision each day), it does indeed seem that $850 million represents a more than decent deal for AOL.
In the meantime, as far as the whole Microsoft-Yahoo! drama is concerned, the situation can be described using as little as 5 characters: "words". Their executives met up so that Microsoft can present its "vision", while, on the other hand, Yahoo! seems to be negotiating with everyone and their dog.
At least Yahoo! have taken some kind of action this week, with the LiveDeal agreement representing something they deserve credit for. As far as Google is concerned, it's full steam ahead as always and it seems that, aside from the launch of Google Ad Manager, they are even getting one step closer to "conquering" space (with the launch of the Google Sky web-based application).
Sure, the other big players could have had a word to say as far as Bebo is concerned, but, aside from that, two of them have at least taken some kind of action this week (Google and Yahoo!). Unfortunately for Microsoft, the company which, for some, represents the last hope of Google ever having a decent competitor, it hasn't exactly been a productive week for them. I seriously doubt that they have managed to make something worthwhile out of their meeting with Yahoo! and, as a result, the final verdict for Microsoft this week would have to be: "disappointing".
From words (Microsoft) to action (Yahoo!, Google and especially AOL) it has definitely been an interesting week. What will the future bring? As we are already used to by now, absolutely nothing is certain in this industry, so that a surprising turn of events is never out of the question. This week's zero can always turn into next week's hero, and, in the end, that's what makes everything special in the first place. As far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't have it any other way.
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