[xyahoo]

It's all starting to make sense now.

Carol Bartz and Jack Ma did not get along at all. She chewed him out in front of his underlings in Sunnyvale when they first met; and he never forgave her for that. Getting insulted in front of your underlings is a huge deal in many cultures.

If Bartz was still the CEO, she would have torpedoed any possible deal like this. So she had to go. The Board fired her to pave the way for Ma to put together a deal.

Ma says he'll be spending the next year in the US, "studying the market". Why the heck would he be wasting time here, when he already has a huge company to run in China, if he didn't intend on making a massive acquisition?

The next few months should be "interesting", if you're a Yahoo.

[patio11]

Oh those wacky Asians with their totally-unknown-in-the-West cultural practices like remembering petty grievances, having personality conflicts with bosses, and running Yahoo.

Seriously for a second: any time you feel the need to explain behavior by reference to culture, consider the compelling alternative that they're a real person just like you.

[xyahoo]

Notice I said "many cultures". For example: in some Arab cultures, if you sit with your sole (of your foot) towards the other person, it is considered an insult. I remember Diane Sawyer(?) of ABC going to interview Saddam Hussein; she sat with her sole towards him and he walked out. Of course, she didn't know; but these things happen.

Before you read too much into a statement (I will once again point out the "many cultures" part), please read what's written. I know, every one's on a hair trigger to jump on the slightest perceived slight on the Internet; but take a chill pill, man.