Robert Scoble’s $45 Billion Website
Posted by Nick O'Neill on May 19th, 2008 10:02 AMRobert Scoble has posted an interesting yet somewhat off the wall post suggesting that once Microsoft acquires Yahoo’s search technology, they will then acquire Facebook for $15 to $20 billion. The acquisition of Facebook has already been discussed among a number of people previously but Robert’s rationale seems a little bit ludicrous.
Why does Robert thing that Microsoft will buy Facebook? Simply because Google can’t currently crawl through Facebook’s website. Facebook can then use Yahoo’s search technology to search within Facebook once it has both groups under its control. While the combined forces makes sense, this is an old way of thinking.
Robert suggests that “we will never get an open Web back if these two deals happen.” Are we really going to turn back the clocks and pursue an AOL walled-garden strategy? It has been proven that this model fails and people end up going elsewhere on the web. Why would it suddenly work this time?
Robert’s apparent conclusion is that search is the killer feature missing from Facebook and once it has it, there is no need to open up. Noticing that Robert’s post was made after 4 AM, I think he may have stayed up a little too late while planning Microsoft’s world domination.
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Scoble seems to be ducking and hiding form that bet..I wonder why?
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If Facebook sells, I expect another social network, or more likely a new one, to gain momentum, even in this crowded space.
Its just a matter of time.
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http://furrier.org/2008/05/19/silicon-valley-ru...
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engrish
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I agree with you on merit though. A MSFT acquisition at that valuation I find ludicrous. But I also don't find it has scary regarding the "world domination effect" for the very reason you point out. Why would we go back to the AOL walled-garden is precisely something I was thinking.
We've spent that last 10 years opening. I don't think the value proposition of Facebook is compelling enough for users to stay behind the wall.
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Quite why anyone listens to this individual is a mystery to me. Maybe if we ignore Scoble, he will go away.
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He said "we will never get an open Web back if these two deals happen." I had to post something about a ridiculous statement like that. Sorry about that!
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