Sound Off: Is the Yahoo Bid All about Ego?

Would Microsoft walk away from a Yahoo takeover? Would Yahoo run into the arms of Google to fend Microsoft off?

Doubtful on both counts, I think. It's that ego thing. Others might think differently. (Do you? [e-mail])

But Yahoo working with Google on ads and search seems like science fiction. These are the two search titans ... competitors from the beginning. If Yahoo started teaming with Google ... wouldn't that be a capitulation of sorts? Google would be the winner and Yahoo would have to make the loser sign, right?

I'm not the only one thinking that way. "A lot of it has to do with egos, politics and personalities," Jeffrey Sonnenfeld of the Yale School of Management told the folks on "Squawk Box" this morning.

Now, would Microsoft walk away if Yahoo put up too much resistance. Well, I can't imagine CEO Steve Ballmer giving up. He strikes me as a man given to obsession. Remember the Monkey Boy video? I could easily see him going Captain Ahab over Yahoo.

Still, some folks think that Microsoft could walk away, especially since Yahoo is already in rejection mode. That puts the Yahoo board in a weird spot, since it's turning down quite a premium.

"That would incite a shareholder ... well let's call it a discussion," said Jordan Rohan, RBC Capital Markets, who also appeared on "Squawk."

And there aren't many alternatives to Microsoft . "Not that many people have $40 to 50 billion lying around," Sonnenfeld pointed out.

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