One thing we don't get enough of is public copies of internal memos from companies who are either the hunter or the hunted in acquisition activity. Late last week, TechCrunch posted an email to all Microsoft employees from Steve Ballmer, in which the Microsoft CEO communicates the bid for Yahoo by Microsoft and lays out the rationale to his employees.
In reading it, I thought it was nicely done. Ballmer lays out the rationale for the bid (online ads are
booming and will continue to do so), tips his hat to the work already being done in the space in Microsoft (gotta tell the current employees you love them), and even predicts a soft landing for any Yahooligan that might be concerned about culture shock when and if they join the army in Redmond (nice proactive pitch to the hunted from a retention perspective).
All in all, a good message hitting all the major points you would expect. The message is also reinforced by the video webcasts being offered at the end of the email, just in case you need to hear the generals talk - a good media mix.
Take a look at the memo below and judge for yourself...
PS - I would love to see any internal communications that are being used at Yahoo, so if you are a Yahoo employee, hit me offline at hrcapitalist@gmail.com.
__________________________________________________________________
From: Steve Ballmer
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2008
To: Microsoft - All Employees (QBDG)
Subject: Proposed Acquisition of Yahoo!
Today, I am very excited to announce that Microsoft has made a proposal to acquire Yahoo!. This announcement represents a big opportunity for Microsoft, and is the next major milestone in our companywide transformation to embrace online services, search, and advertising.
By combining the strengths of our companies, we can deliver an efficient and highly competitive offering for our customers. Our complementary assets will give us increased talent and scale to compete in the markets of search and online advertising, and pioneer new innovations in the areas of video, mobile services, online commerce, and social media.
This year, online advertising is a $40 billion business. It will grow to $80 billion by 2010 and will continue to increase in the years beyond. This market provides a significant growth opportunity for Microsoft—our ability to provide the best search and online experiences for consumers, and the best ad platform for publishers and advertisers, is the key to unlocking this opportunity.
We are on a good path with our existing search and advertising product roadmaps. To date, we have made progress in our organic online services and advertising efforts, and by joining with Yahoo!, we will take the next step toward becoming a major search destination and social platform for consumers. The combined reach of our content properties and combined breadth of our tools for advertisers will enable us to provide an online advertising platform at scale. Together, we’ll create a company that is in a much better position to compete against an increasingly dominant player in this market.
Through our recent acquisitions of aQuantive and Tellme, we understand what it takes to successfully integrate new talent, assets, and infrastructure into our company. Leaders from both Microsoft and Yahoo! will work together closely on the integration process to ensure that we are thoughtful about the questions we ask and the decisions we make. As we move forward, we’ll look carefully at how to bring our assets together to create the greatest value for customers, employees, and shareholders.
During this transition period, I urge you to stay focused on your commitments and team goals. We are committed to communicating with you frequently as our leadership team works on bringing the two companies together.
As I outlined in my quarterly strategy email last week, we grow by anticipating new areas where software has the greatest potential to create opportunities. The proposed acquisition of Yahoo! will transform our ability to compete as new opportunities in online services, search, and advertising emerge.
I am very excited about today’s announcement and about the collective talent and energy we will bring to the industry. A great opportunity is in front of us to evolve how people and businesses create, find, and use information. Through today’s proposed acquisition, we can take our business to new levels of success and growth.
Kevin Johnson, Chris Liddell, Ray Ozzie and I will host an employee web cast that can be viewed live beginning at 10:00am PST and will also be available on-demand. You can link to the web cast at http://msw/NewsEvents/StudioCas
Steve
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