Microsoft allies with Carl Icahn

July 07, 2008 Microsoft Corp. on Monday officially aligned itself with dissident Yahoo shareholder Carl Icahn in his effort to oust CEO Jerry Yang and other board members of the Internet company early next month. Yahoo has scheduled its annual shareholder meeting for Aug. 1, where Icahn hopes to win a majority vote for an alternative slate of directors he recently proposed that includes such media and entertainment dignitaries as Frank Biondi, Robert Shaye and Mark Cuban. Microsoft said it "would be interested in discussing with a new board a major transaction with Yahoo, such as either a transaction to purchase the 'search' function with large financial guarantees or, in the alternative, purchasing the whole company."

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