Alibaba and Yahoo: Can't We All Just Get Along?

A slight–very slight–easing of tensions today in Yahoo’s spat with Alibaba over the Chinese company’s transfer of its Alipay online e-commerce payment system to Alibaba CEO Jack Ma, a move that devalued Yahoo’s 43 percent stake in Alibaba. After a week of accusations, denials and contradictory who-knew-what-and-when statements, the two companies have agreed to talk things out. Below, the joint statement they issued moments ago:

“Alibaba Group, and its major stockholders Yahoo! Inc. and Softbank Corporation, are engaged in and committed to productive negotiations to resolve the outstanding issues related to Alipay in a manner that serves the interests of all shareholders as soon as possible.”