According to a report from Reuters, Microsoft and Yahoo are extending the deadline to renegotiate the terms of a search partnership that was formed in back in 2010.
The deal was signed for 10 years, with at opportunity to renegotiate terms after the 5 year mark. The two companies can either make changes to the terms originally agreed on, or terminate the partnership.
The negotiations have already exceeded 30 days, but the two companies have agreed to extend the deadline another 30 days. Yahoo stated it values the partnership with Microsoft and will continue discussions, while Microsoft declined to comment.
The deal was originally created by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and former Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz, with hopes that they could better compete with Google if they combined their efforts.
Considering the fact that Microsoft and Yahoo’s combined search market share has largely remained flat since the partnership was formed, it’s clear that the two companies have not accomplished what they set out to do when signing the deal.
Yahoo’s current CEO, Marissa Mayer, has been a vocal critic of the search partnership since joining the company. That’s bound to be a factor in whether or not the two companies can agree to new terms, but we’ll find out in the next 30 days or so.
