corresp
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom llp
525 UNIVERSITY AVENUE
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA 94301
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TEL: (650) 470-4500
FAX: (650) 470-4570
www.skadden.com
VIA EDGAR AND BY FACSIMILE
Daniel F. Duchovny
Special Counsel
Office of Mergers & Acquisitions
Securities and Exchange Commission
Division of Corporation Finance
One Station Place
100 F Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20549-4561
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Yahoo! Inc.
Soliciting Materials filed pursuant to Rule 14a-12
Filed May 16, 2008 by Yahoo! Inc.
File No. 000-28018 |
Dear Mr. Duchovny:
On behalf of Yahoo! Inc. (the Company), this letter sets forth the Companys response to the
comments of the staff (the Staff) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission)
set forth in your letter dated May 20, 2008 (the Comment Letter), regarding the Companys
above-referenced soliciting materials filed on May 16, 2008, pursuant to Rule 14a-12 (the 14a-12
Filings) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. For the convenience of the Staff, each
comment from the Comment Letter is restated in italics prior to the Companys response to such
comment.
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Please note that the participant information required by Rule 14a-12(a)(1)(i) should be filed
pursuant to the rule in connection with the current solicitation. The rule contemplates that
the information be provided in a previously filed communication related to the current
solicitation or a separate statement filed as Rule 14a-12 material. See Section II.C.1.b of
SEC Release No. 33-7760. |
Daniel F. Duchovny
Securities and Exchange Commission
May 28, 2008
Page 2
Response: The Company acknowledges the Staffs comment and notes that each of the 14a-12 Filings
included a legend making reference to the Companys Form 10-K/A for its fiscal year ended December
31, 2007, filed with the Commission on April 29, 2008 (the Form 10-K/A), which included
information concerning the Companys directors and officers that ordinarily would have been
included in the Companys definitive proxy statement relating to its 2008 annual meeting of
stockholders. The Companys preliminary proxy statement relating to its 2008 annual meeting of
stockholders, filed May 22, 2008 (the Preliminary Proxy Statement), contained complete
information concerning the participants, and the Company will include in future 14a-12 filings an
appropriate legend and cross reference directing stockholders to the participant information
included in the Preliminary Proxy Statement.
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Each statement or assertion of opinion or belief must be clearly characterized as such, and a
reasonable factual basis must exist for each such opinion or belief. Support for opinions or
beliefs should be self-evident, disclosed in the solicitation materials or provided to the
staff on a supplemental basis. Please provide support for the following: |
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your belief that Yahoos board has the knowledge, experience and commitment
to maximize value for all Yahoo stockholders (e-mails to
all-worldwide@yahoo-inc.com and all-svps-and-above@yahoo-inc.com and the
penultimate paragraph of the letter to Carl Icahn); and |
Response: The Companys belief that its board of directors has the knowledge, experience and
commitment to maximize value for all of its stockholders is supported by the background and
experience of each of the directors summarized in both the Form 10-K/A and the Preliminary Proxy
Statement. Seven of the Companys nine current directors have served as directors of the Company
for five or more years. We also note that each of the current directors was recommended for
election or appointment to the board by its Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (the
Committee). Consistent with the Companys Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter,
a copy of which is available on the Companys web site at
http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/documentdisplay.cfm?DocumentID=397, in making its
recommendation, the Committee reviewed each candidates knowledge, experience, skills, expertise
and diversity and determined it was in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders to
recommend that the board nominate the current directors. The Company also notes that its board has
determined that each of the current directors of the Company, other than Jerry Yang, its chief
executive officer, qualify as independent
directors under applicable rules of the Commission, the Nasdaq listing standards and the Companys
corporate governance guidelines.
Daniel F. Duchovny
Securities and Exchange Commission
May 28, 2008
Page 3
Additional evidence of the boards commitment to maximizing value for all stockholders is set
forth in the description contained in the letter to Carl Icahn (the Icahn Letter), which was
included in each of the 14a-12 Filings, of the process undertaken by the board in response to the
January 31, 2008 unsolicited proposal by Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft). The Icahn Letter
cites the more than 20 times the Companys board has met to consider matters related to the
Microsoft proposal and its exploration of other strategic alternatives.
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your assertion that Yahoo continues to perform well against its strategic and
financial plan (e-mails to all-worldwide@yahoo-inc.com and
all-svps-and-above@yahoo-inc.com). |
Response: The Companys assertion that it continues to perform well against its strategic
and financial plan is supported by its financial results for its fiscal quarter ended March 31,
2008, reported in a press release issued by the Company on April 22, 2008 and furnished to the
Commission on Form 8-K on the same date. As specifically noted in that press release, the first
quarter financial results were consistent with the Companys outlook provided for that quarter in
its earnings press release dated January 29, 2008 and the Companys strategic and financial plan.
Specifically, Jerry Yang, the Companys chief executive officer, stated in the April 22 press
release that [t]his quarters solid performance underscores the fact that we are executing on that
plan. Similarly, Sue Decker, the Companys president stated: This past quarters financial
results, important acquisitions, and, most importantly, the string of successful product rollouts
demonstrate our enhanced execution against our longer-range goals. As discussed on its earnings
conference call on April 22, 2008, the Company completed the acquisitions of Foxy Tunes and Maven
Networks, a leading video advertising provider, in the first quarter. The Company has also
acquired substantially all of the assets of IndexTools, a leading provider of web analytics
software, and has rolled out, among other products, One Search 2.0, including voice-activated
Search, Buzz and Video on Flickr. Each of these acquisitions and products has furthered the
Companys strategic objectives.
In addition, in response to the Staffs request on page 2 of the Comment Letter, enclosed is
an acknowledgment letter from Michael J. Callahan, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and
Secretary of the Company.
Daniel F. Duchovny
Securities and Exchange Commission
May 28, 2008
Page 4
If you have any questions regarding the responses to the comments of the Staff, or require
additional information, please contact the undersigned at (650) 470-4630, Kenton J. King at (650)
470-4530 or M. Amr Razzak at (650) 470-4533.
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Very truly yours,
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/s/ Marc R. Packer
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Marc R. Packer |
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Matthew Crispino
Securities and Exchange Commission |
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Michael J. Callahan, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Yahoo! Inc. |
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Kenton J. King
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP |
[YAHOO! INC. LETTERHEAD]
VIA EDGAR AND BY FACSIMILE
Daniel F. Duchovny
Special Counsel
Office of Mergers & Acquisitions
Securities and Exchange Commission
Division of Corporation Finance
One Station Place
100 F Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20549-4561
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Re: |
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Yahoo! Inc.
Soliciting Materials filed pursuant to Rule 14a-12
Filed May 16, 2008 by Yahoo! Inc.
File No. 000-28018 |
Dear Mr. Duchovny:
In response to the request of the staff (the Staff) of the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the Commission) set forth in the Staffs letter dated May 20, 2008, Yahoo! Inc.
hereby acknowledges that:
it is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosure in the filing;
Staff comments or changes in disclosure in response to Staff comments do not foreclose the
Commission from taking any action with respect to the filing; and
it may not assert Staff comments as a defense in any proceeding initiated by the Commission
or any person under the federal securities laws of the United States.
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Very truly yours,
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/s/ Michael J. Callahan
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Michael J. Callahan |
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Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary |
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