It’s a little jarring to think that, a short decade ago, it wasn’t clear whether Google or Yahoo would come out on top in the new realm of web search and advertising. That fight has been settled for years, though, and now that the loser is looking to sell, the suitors are lining up.
Reuters is reporting that Yahoo has attracted five groups into the final round of bidding on its core business, with Verizon, Quicken Loans founder and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and Vector Capital Management leading the way. According to Bloomberg, the remaining pair of bidders is made up of AT&T and TPG.
All five potential buyers successfully entered bids ahead of a Monday (July 18) deadline, and anonymous sources intimated that a final decision from Yahoo could be made within the week. However, Bloomberg noted that, if Yahoo chooses to spin its intellectual property out into a separate sale — one that could generate between $500 million and $1 billion when the digital dust is settled — an end-of-the-week decision would seem a longshot.
