Alibaba’s Ma wants to Buy Yahoo (YHOO)

Jack Ma, CEO of Alibaba, is “very interested” in buying Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) if the opportunity presents itself. Ma, who is also the founder of the Chinese e-commerce company, has had talks with other interested buyers about options.

Speaking at Stanford University, Ma said that he would be “very interested” in Yahoo after he was asked whether Alibaba would be interested in picking up a stake in the Sunnyvale, California-based company. Ma later added that if he were to have his way, he would acquire all of Yahoo.

It may be recalled that Yahoo had invested in Alibaba, however, the relationship between the two companies has been strained in the last few years. Ma had earlier attempted to acquire some of Yahoo’s 40% stake in Alibaba, but he was rebuffed by former CEO Carol Bartz. The relationship between Yahoo and Alibaba had deteriorated during Bartz’s tenure.

The acquisition of Yahoo, which has been failed to take advantage of the tremendous growth in online advertising, could enable Ma to expand his online empire in China. Ma also said that he intends to spend the next year in the U.S. to learn more about the country and the market. Ma is likely to be based in the San Francisco Bay area, a spokeswoman for the company said, however, he would travel across the country and will continue his duties as Chairman and CEO of Alibaba.

Commenting on Yahoo, Ma said that Alibaba is probably one of the very few companies that really understand Yahoo USA very well.

Yahoo, meanwhile, has been looking at its possible options after the firing of CEO Bartz, however, a decision on the company’s future is not likely to be taken in the near-term even though the company has received inquiries from a number of interested parties.

Post Written By: Ed Liston Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications. He is widely quoted in various financial publications on the Internet. When Ed is not writing about stocks, investing in stocks, talking about stocks, or otherwise doing something stock related, he likes to go sailing and fishing in his yacht.