Microsoft And AOL - The Battle Rages
Yahoo | at | by Mike
Microsoft is now determined to prevent AOL from buying AT&T Broadband from AT&T , according to a report in The Financial Times. Never mind that AOL has never said publicly it wants to buy AT&T Broadband. The mere suggestion that AOL may want to do such a deal is enough to send up red flags in conference rooms in Redmond, Wash. Microsoft's opposition to AOL's desires is just the latest gambit in a growing love-hate relationship between the two companies.
Microsoft doesn't want AT&T Broadband for itself. Still, it doesn't want AOL to have it, either, and may be willing to finance rival bidders for AT&T's cable assets. These assets are in play because AT&T wants to spin them off and because Comcast has made a $58 billion bid for the unit.