Yahoo chief says Microsoft should buy his firm

Yahoo chief executive Jerry Yang said Wednesday that Microsoft should buy his pioneering Internet firm despite failed takeover talks between the companies earlier this year.

"To this day, I would say the best thing for Microsoft is to buy Yahoo," Yang said during an on-stage chat with journalist John Battelle at a Web 2.0 summit on Internet Age companies and their business strategies.

"Did we want to do the deal? Yes."

Microsoft has said repeatedly that it is no longer interested in buying the floundering Northern California firm.

"Our position hasn't changed," Microsoft said in a statement released in October. "Microsoft has no interest in acquiring Yahoo. There are no discussions between the companies."

The Redmond, Washington-based company issued the statement after Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer commented that the business reasons for a Yahoo acquisition still make sense.

Microsoft on January 31 offered to buy Yahoo for 44.6 billion dollars in a half-cash, half-stock deal.

Microsoft walked away from negotiations May 3 after Yahoo rejected an offer it raised from 31 dollars to 33 dollars per share, which amounted to 47.5 billion dollars.

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