QUOTED

If they go ahead and the merger’s ultimately successful, it would be possible for Microsoft to integrate some of the properties and essentially eliminate consumer choice, particularly in electronic mail, instant messaging, the things where they have 80% or 90% market share, and that’s a sweet spot for Microsoft in its ability to eliminate choice.”

– Google CEO Eric Schmidt says he much prefers the 80% search market share Google would gain by partnering with Yahoo to the 80% email/IM market share Microsoft would gain by acquiring it.