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Exclusive: Japan’s Rakuten Wins the Heart of Pinterest in $100M Funding Race With $1.5B Valuation

Liz Gannes and Kara Swisher in Commerce on May 16 at 8:18 pm PT

The largest e-commerce site in Japan is about to get pinned by Ben Silbermann in massive funding round.

What Does Yahoo's Search Decline Mean and–More to the Point–Can It Be Stopped?

Kara Swisher in News on December 18, 2009 at 5:22 am PT

“Microsoft eats, sleeps and drinks search,” said one Yahoo source to me this week. “And we just don’t.” That was one very stark way of explaining why Yahoo, the No. 2 search player, continues to lose market share in the lucrative online arena, even as Microsoft’s Bing service has been slowly gaining. With new features, integration and marketing, the Internet giant said it will be turning that around soon. But the question remains: How long does Yahoo have to do so?

AOL Readies Board Picks for Spinoff–While Holding Off Search Suitors (Plus, BoomTown Director Choices!)

Kara Swisher in News on September 23, 2009 at 9:01 pm PT

According to sources close to the situation, AOL has been busy selecting the board for the company, which is still set to spin itself off by year’s end–even as it slows down a decision on a new search deal with either current partner Google or a more emboldened Microsoft. AOL is using Spencer Stuart in the search for directors, led by well-known headhunter Jim Citrin, sources said, and the company has already settled on several outside candidates.

AOL CEO Tim Armstrong Speaks (Though He's a Cagey One)!

Kara Swisher in News on September 23, 2009 at 8:38 pm PT

Here is a video interview I did today with AOL CEO Tim Armstrong in Germany–really!–where we both were appearing at a digital marketing conference. In it, the former Google exec talks about a range of things, including the possibility of charging for content, innovating in the graphical advertising market, competition with Yahoo and the upcoming spinoff of the Time Warner unit. But what he did not say is just as interesting.

Exclusive: Yahoo Set to Unveil Massive New Marketing Campaign at Advertising Week, Declaring Size Does Matter

Kara Swisher in News on September 13, 2009 at 10:32 am PT

Yahoo is set to unveil a major marketing campaign to reset advertiser and consumer perception of the long-troubled company during Advertising Week in New York, which starts a week from tomorrow. According to numerous sources BoomTown has spoken to about the campaign, Yahoo is–at least with advertisers–going to focus on stressing the size and scale of the Internet giant. With consumers, the Internet giant will push the idea of being a key hub on the Web. The details of the plan will be made public Tuesday, Sept. 22, at a press conference with senior Yahoo execs, including CEO Carol Bartz.

Little Laptops With Linux Have Compatibility Issues

Nick Wingfield in Personal Technology on May 27, 2009 at 6:06 pm PT

The companies behind Linux netbooks have made great strides in improving user interfaces, but until they can achieve similar breakthroughs in how the machines work with other devices, Windows netbooks are still a better deal.

The Little Engine That Could? Yahoo Paid Search Adds Video and Pictures, Trying for More Clicks.

Kara Swisher in News on February 19, 2009 at 2:44 am PT

Yesterday, Yahoo celebrated the fifth anniversary of the launch of its own search engine with some good news about its market share and by jazzing up its paid listings today with a plan to include pictures and video in the online ads. Will the “rich” ad search product work better, a kind of digital little engine that could?

The Yahoo-AOL Jabberfest Continues Ad Infinitum (Plus Some Jerry Yang Chitter-Chatter on Video)

Kara Swisher in News on November 12, 2008 at 5:00 am PT

Last week–in a clear sign that BoomTown has spent way too much face time in front of the idiot box–I compared the endless bickering back-and-forth between Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to the annoying push-me-pull-you antics of Ross and Rachel on the television show, “Friends.” But the continuing discussions–oh, yes, there have been more this week–between Yahoo and AOL execs over the merger of their struggling online companies have their own TV comparison: The never-ending roundelay on “The View.” In other words: Blah, blah, blah. Chitter-chatter. Pointless arguing. Chin-scratching. More blah, blah. More chatter. Blah.

Facebook: The What-chu-talkin-bout-Willis Ad Conundrum

Kara Swisher in News on November 11, 2008 at 11:58 am PT

The one truly interesting factoid in The Wall Street Journal’s piece about the efficacy (or lack thereof) of Facebook’s engagement ads today was one about its results in the graphical ad business versus rival MySpace. As it turns out, the audience-lagging MySpace smokes Facebook when it comes to selling ads.

Sorting Out Fact From Fiction at Yahoo: The Telenovela Edition

Kara Swisher in News on November 5, 2008 at 2:47 pm PT

Okay, here is what is true at this moment about Yahoo, which is sure to get even more caught up in the maelstrom of rumor and innuendo about its fate after the collapse of its controversial search advertising deal with Google today. While Yahoo’s corporate gyrations are beginning to feel like there are more twists and turns than a Spanish telenovela, the actual situation is a lot less sexy and definitely more grim.