Microsoft and Adobe Executives Meet to Discuss Apple, Possible Merger

[MacRumors]

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen (left) and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (right)
The New York Times reports that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and other executives recently held a secret meeting with Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen to discuss a number of topics, including how the two companies might work together to take on Apple in the mobile industry, as well as a possible acquisition of Adobe by Microsoft.

Steven A. Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, recently showed up with a small entourage of deputies at Adobe's corporate offices in San Francisco to hold a secret meeting with Adobe's chief executive, Shantanu Narayen.

The meeting, which lasted over an hour, covered a number of topics, but one of the main thrusts of the discussion was Apple and its control of the mobile phone market and how the two companies could partner in the battle against Apple. A possible acquisition of Adobe by Microsoft were among the options.

One source indicates that representatives of the two companies discussed Apple's refusal to support the viewing of Flash content on its mobile devices and how a partnership between the companies might offer them additional leverage against Apple's gains in the sector.

A second source reveals that executives revisited the possibility of an acquisition of Adobe by Microsoft, a proposal that was briefly floated several years ago before being abandoned over fears that the merger would not pass muster under antitrust regulations. With the growth of Apple and Google, however, those concerns may be less now than they were at the time of the initial discussions.

Adobe's stock is currently up over 10% on the rumors of a Microsoft acquisition.

Article Link: Microsoft and Adobe Executives Meet to Discuss Apple, Possible Merger

 

[CristobalHuet]

Two uglier faces I have never seen.

 

[mambodancer]

and two companies running scared.

 

[bytethese]

I got a great name for the new company: Microbe.

"Darn it, I got another virus again. Darn you Microbe!"

 

[skeep5]

i just threw up in my mouth a little. or maybe microsoft can keep adobe flash for mac from crashing, who knows?

 

[Xtremehkr]

Creating a vortex of suck so large it could be dangerous to approach.

 

[hundleton1]

i thought flash could get no worse, then you add M$ to the mix

 

[Ted13]

MS buying Adobe (merger my a**) would be very bad news indeed. Apple has the cash, they need to buy Adobe themselves, keep the good, stop developing the bad (Flash), and make OS X versions a priority over Windows.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

No way the #1 OS and office s/w company and the #1 Graphics s/w producer would ever get approval to merge, esp. w/ M$'s anti-trust past. Silly to even bring it up.

 

[Reed Rothchild]

A merger may make sense for both of them. Funny how Microsoft is really an underdog these days compared to how Apple and Google are pushing the envelope in so many areas. I'd never bet against Microsoft but they have a lot of ground to make up and a lot of mindshare to recapture and I feel they may have left it too late. At least a merger would also likely result in the merging of Flash and Silverlight. One less plugin to install (not that it makes any difference to iOS or Android of course).

 

[finalcut]

oh no, please no! Not Microsoft Photoshop CS6

 

[kirky29]

I aways would have liked to see Apple & Adobe merge
Not Microsoft & Abobe...

 

[swarmster]

I got a great name for the new company: Microbe.

"Darn it, I got another virus again. Darn you Microbe!"

lol

Also fitting since 'microbe' will accurately describe the size of these two old-world companies in 10 years.

 

[Peace]

Wouldn't this bring up considerable anti-trust questions ?

 

[Reed Rothchild]

I got a great name for the new company: Microbe.

"Darn it, I got another virus again. Darn you Microbe!"

Microbe - good one .

 

[kirky29]

Wouldn't this bring up considerable anti-trust questions ?

That's what I was thinking too

 

[ziggyonice]

They're scared.

Good.

 

[dave420]

i thought flash could get no worse, then you add M$ to the mix

Yea this deal could be a mess

 

[NebulaClash]

Adobe would be fools to do it. Microsoft has a long history of taking over companies and then destroying their products. Think Flash would last long in a merger? Nope, Silverlight it would be.

 

[Pentad]

i thought flash could get no worse, then you add M$ to the mix

I laughed so hard when I read this!

 

[MacMosher]

Sounds like they are just trying to hold onto their legacy, instead of making way for the future.

I can only imagine how unstable, memory intensive, and power hungry, something that both companies made together would be.

 

[Glideslope]

and two companies running scared.

Very Scared. Simply amazing. Who would have seen these days in 1996.

 

[battiato1981]

I got a great name for the new company: Microbe.

That's a winner right there ...

 

[Pentad]

Adobe would be fools to do it. Microsoft has a long history of taking over companies and then destroying their products. Think Flash would last long in a merger? Nope, Silverlight it would be.

I agree. Flash would be slowly killed off in favor of a MS centric product. If this went through and I made my living as a Flash programmer, I would be worried.

It wouldn't happen right away but Flash's days would be numbered...

 

[nefan65]

2 Companies, that build build crappy software merging. How fitting! LOL

They should rename themselves ASOFT...LOL