Microsoft may have Facebook in its sights, according to rumors moving through Silicon Valley this morning.
John Furrier first reported the idea on his site. Now former Microsoft man Robert Scoble says he’s heard the same thing: that Microsoft is planning to finalize its purchase of Yahoo’s search, then snatch up Facebook for an extra $20 billion or so.
Scoble has some interesting theories as to why the combo could be a brilliant move for Microsoft, essentially locking Google out of a large portion of the web. Facebook has already decided not to participate in Google’s Friend Connect data sharing initiative, citing concerns over privacy issues. It could, Scoble suggests, just be the first step in a complete data shut out.
But now, there’s a new piece of the puzzle adding confusion to the theory: Facebook’s CEO has just said he wants to work out his company’s issues with Google and try to get on-board with Friend Connect. Whether that meeting will ever happen or whether the statement is just a public relations move has yet to be seen. Stay tuned.
