Eudaimonia, too

Question: Does anyone have a crystal ball on what will happen with Microsoft's unsolicited bid for Yahoo?

• Answer: No. BUT, there certainly are many pundits who have a thought on the matter and others who are attempting to attract an audience of readers (including me, I suppose) on the subject.

Question: Does the Microsoft bid for Yahoo Matter?

• Answer: Yes and No. Wait!! Don't roll your eyes with that trite answer. I say "yes/no" because, yes, the outcome of the situation will change the activities of those businesses (certainly internally and, likely, in the marketplace) so it does matter. But, No, it does not matter because the bid is a business matter and the ultimate outcome is predicated as much on ego, hubris, negotiating skills and similar social conventions as it is on management principles, business pragmatics and the normal evolution of markets and businesses.

In short, such transactional processes are a natural part of an evolving market and, in some sense, an indication that the connectivity/community/communications/information businesses are starting to coalesce and (gasp!) mature. And, we have to adapt based upon whatever happens.

There was a time not long ago when Microsoft was heralded because their operating system became the de facto standard and data transfer between laboratory devices, computers and process systems (among many others) became an expectation rather than a far-off dream. But, a seemingly short time afterwards, Microsoft was seen by many as the evil empire out to control ALL facets of our lives, know more about us than we did ourselves and potentially share that information with organizations that would know what to do with that information in ways that we would submit without ever knowing it. Critics shrieked and anti-trust lawyers made a LOT of money.

Yet, while there was this sense that Microsoft was invincible, Google entered the fray, challenged Microsoft for "share of computer activity", started to attract the brightest talent that Microsoft would otherwise hire and eventually developed products that challenge Google's business. Competition is a wonderful thing! Changing the game is, too.

Microsoft has acquired other businesses but, with this seemingly hostile bid to buy Yahoo, the once invincible company has indicated that they have determined it is now easier to buy their way into a market rather than build a better mousetrap of their own. It is an acknowledgement that there is an entrenched customer base that would be too costly to attract through their own organic abilities. That change in thinking and in business approach matters.

And, it is that change in thinking that brings a Rupert Murdoch and his News Corporation into the activity. Before long, there will be others and when the dust has settled, there will be an amalgamation of businesses. One need only look at other historical industry shake-outs, including US aerospace/defense contractors (whittled down to Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, Honeywell, General Dynamics and Northrup-Grumman), automobile manufacturers (on a global basis) and steel producers (look back over the past century of consolidations) and so much more.

A mentor told me long ago, when I worked for a conglomerate that served maturing markets, that it was best for me to keep my head down and get my job done. There is much truth in that statement as it is best for each of us to do what we can do to support the endeavors of our choosing. From afar, the unfolding drama here is as entertaining as any sporting event and as enlightening as any theater and possibly as farcical as any comedy. Time will tell.