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back to article In-a-spin! Yahoo! clutches! Alibaba! baby! to! breast!

Yahoo! has backed away from plans to cut loose its remaining multi-billion-dollar stake in Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba. The Purple Palace said that it will now spin off assets and liabilities other than its Alibaba stake, after it got in a pickle over "the market's perception of tax risk" over the original proposal. Yahoo …

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  1. ratfox
    Go

    Makes sense

    Most of the value assigned to Yahoo's market share comes from the Alibaba shares they own. Spinning those out incurs a significant risk on taxes.

    The value assigned to Yahoo's core business is either small or negative, depending on who you ask. No tax penalty, go ahead!

    0 0 Reply
    1. Dan 55 Silver badge
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      Re: Makes sense

      So what's Yahoo going to be then, a shell company for Alibaba?

      8 0 Reply
      1. Mark 85
        Reply Icon

        Re: Makes sense

        Exactly... just the board, maybe a admin assistant (or whatever the PC types call them these days) or two to answer the phone, and shareholders. Minimum expense... profit!!!! IOW, the perfect corporation from an activist investor.

        If they keep the name Yahoo! I think that would be rather disingenuous to say the least.

        3 0 Reply
        1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge
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          Re: Makes sense

          "admin assistant (or whatever the PC types call them these days)"

          Intern. Added advantage is that they don't have to be paid.

          1 0 Reply
        2. x 7
          Reply Icon

          Re: Makes sense

          " admin assistant (or whatever the PC types call them these days) or two"

          In this case it would be a couple of pretty young Chinese personal assistants aka "masseuses"

          0 0 Reply
  2. laurence brothers
    Angel

    Solution

    If they just fired *everyone* below the officer level and terminated all business operations, you'd think they'd make a lot more money for their shareholders from simple capital management than from their crappy Internet operation.

    1 0 Reply
  3. Florida1920
    Joke

    If they sold Alibaba

    An hour later they'd want to sell something else.

    1 0 Reply
  4. Your alien overlord - fear me

    reverse spin - isn't that the same as Tory PR on Osbourne's tax credits?

    0 0 Reply
  5. Jonjonz

    Her batting average

    Given her batting average, Alibaba is now on the road to ruin.

    1 0 Reply
  6. John Styles

    No ARM in it

    Didn't something similar kind of happen with Acorn, where the vast majority of its value was its stake in ARM?

    1 0 Reply

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