Carl Icahn won his seat on the board by staging a rebellion against Yahoo’s decision not to entertain Microsoft’s takeover bid earlier this year. Now that the company’s ad deal with Google has fallen apart, he’s taken up a somewhat familiar refrain, suggesting that Yahoo sell Microsoft its search business.
On CNBC on Monday night he said:
"I have said publicly and will continue to say it… I believe, as a large shareholder… that eventually Yahoo should, if it’s available, make a deal with Microsoft to sell the search business."
He noted that Yahoo could “save a fortune” with Microsoft operating its search business, according to CNET. And Microsoft might not have entirely closed the door on a deal, either. Just last month, Microsoft’s chief executive Steve Ballmer noted that an acquisition “still made sense” for shareholders in both companies.