Microsoft may be moving its target to Facebook.
A report just released by the Wall Street Journal claims the company’s bankers have been in touch with the social networking site to “gauge [its] willingness to sell.” The Journal cites the also Dow Jones-owned All Things Digital blog for first breaking the news early this morning. It does note, however, that there are no “active discussions” going on as of yet.
Microsoft already has hundreds of millions invested in Facebook . It bought a 1.6 percent stake in the company last fall.
But how serious the idea of an actual acquisition could be is yet to be seen. Just today in Tokyo, Bill Gates said his company won’t go after any other takeovers following its failed talks with Yahoo. Microsoft dropped its discussions to buy the search engine over the weekend after failing to agree on a price.
“At this point, Microsoft is focused on its independent strategy,” Gates stated at a news conference today.
Of course, a day earlier in South Korea, Gates told the Associated Press he “wasn’t ruling out alternative partnerships.”
Who knows what the story will be tomorrow. Stay tuned.