Apparently Marissa Mayer and Yahoo are fast-tracking a way out of the company’s “Search Alliance” with Microsoft, which currently sees Bing powering the technology behind Yahoo searches.
This is according to Kara Swisher, who is probably more familiar with the internal workings of Yahoo than a significant portion of Yahoo’s own staff. Swisher frequently obtains and reports on internal memo leaks and other corporate dealing not meant for the public eye.
This time, Swisher says Yahoo has two internal projects codenamed “Fast Break” and “Curveball” that “could potentially get the company back into algorithmic search as well as search advertising.”
It could be more mobile-focused than desktop, and there are a handful of execs (which she names) involved.
Swisher writes, “Sources said the plan is being done as part of a contemplation of how Yahoo can accelerate the end — or actually end — its longterm search and advertising partnership with Microsoft. Currently, Yahoo only has control over the search experience, but Mayer clearly wants more purview over the business.”
The relationship between the two companies has seemed rocky at best since Mayer took over as CEO, and she has expressed disdain with the relationship publicly in the past, though apparently just hates on it internally all the time, if Swisher’s report is any indication.
It was revealed in recent months that Yahoo gets 31% of its revenue from the deal.
The news comes as Microsoft is reportedly set to name its new CEO – Satya Nadella – a current Microsoftie, who would already have some familiarity with the deal.
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