Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer says he is still
considering a deal with Yahoo to boost audience volumes for
Microsoft's search business.
Ballmer's comments appear in
Wall Street Journal transcripts of an interview at a media
industry conference in New York.
"There are a lot of things that are fairly compelling
economically in trying to put our two search efforts together in a
partnership," Ballmer said.
Ballmer said he had talked briefly with his Yahoo counterpart
Carol Bartz since she joined the company.
"I am sure when it is appropriate, we will have a chance to sit
down and talk," he said.
Last November, Ballmer
dismissed the possibility of another full buyout offer, but
said Microsoft was still interested in Yahoo's search business.
Yahoo has suffered a $30m loss in value since former chief
executive Jerry Yang rejected a buyout offer from Microsoft at $33
a share or $47.5bn in February 2008.
In a conference call last month after Yahoo reported a
fourth-quarter loss,
Bartz would not rule out such a transaction nor declare any
support for it.