Microsoft to Yahoo: Two Days to Respond or Else!

Sources at Yahoo tell me that Microsoft made its most recent overtures right after Yahoo announced its earnings Tuesday and then told Yahoo execs they had two days to respond or Microsoft would go public with the offer.

When Yahoo balked at the heavy-handed tactic, guess what? Microsoft went public.

Now Yahoo is scrambling to figure out a response to the overture, but is looking for any other option but Microsoft.

A number of top executives I spoke to today were flabbergasted by what is essentially a hostile move by Microsoft. Yahoo’s Jerry Yang has been rebuffing such advances, made both privately and in veiled references in public by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

“I woke up this morning and couldn’t believe that they did it,” said one exec. “They had made a lot of overtures, but this was astonishing. I could not believe Microsoft would be so aggressive.”

Believe it.