Yahoo might have been prepared to accept a lower price from Microsoft rather than see takeover talks between the two companies collapse, Jerry Yang, its co-founder and chief executive, indicated Monday. The comments, in an FT interview, marked Yang’s first public attempt to justify Yahoo’s negotiating tactics as its shares tumbled 15% following the failure of the talks. Microsoft withdrew its $46.5bn takeover offer for Yahoo on Saturday after raising its bid from $31 to $33 a share, compared with the $37 Yang had said it wanted. However, analysts expect Microsoft to return at a later date, or Yahoo to do other strategic deals. More analysis here.
