Skip to main content

Verizon renegotiates deal to buy Yahoo to the tune of a $350 million discount

Verizon will acquire Yahoo at even bigger discount than originally reported

how yahoo is mining for gold in your junk mail campus
Global PR

Yahoo’s security breaches are costing the company more than a quarter of a billion dollars. After a previous Bloomberg report claimed that Verizon Communications had negotiated a $250 million discount on the price to acquire Yahoo as a result of the highly publicized hacks that rocked Yahoo late last year, the telecommunications company has made an official announcement about the new deal that reveals the discount is even deeper than reported.

“Under the amended terms, Verizon and Yahoo have agreed to reduce the price Verizon will pay to acquire Yahoo’s operating business by $350 million,” the company said, “In addition, Verizon and Yahoo will share certain legal and regulatory liabilities arising from certain data breaches incurred by Yahoo.”

While a $350 million price drop may seem like a hard pill to swallow, it’s likely better for Yahoo than having Verizon renege on the deal altogether, which briefly seemed like a possibility. Marni Walden, Verizon executive vice president and president of Product Innovation and New Businesses, assured the public of the company’s confidence in the buyout. “We have always believed this acquisition makes strategic sense. We look forward to moving ahead expeditiously so that we can quickly welcome Yahoo’s tremendous talent and assets into our expanding portfolio in the digital advertising space.”

Walden added, “The amended terms of the agreement provide a fair and favorable outcome for shareholders. It provides protections for both sides and delivers a clear path to close the transaction in the second quarter.”

Yahoo has already been forced to deal with a number of hurdles surrounding its imminent sale to Verizon. While the deal was initially announced in July 2016 and was set to close in the first quarter of this year, it’s since been delayed to the second quarter. This, Yahoo says, will give the company time to evaluate the effects of the data breaches and meet closing conditions.

Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo, said in a statement, “We continue to be very excited to join forces with Verizon and AOL. This transaction will accelerate Yahoo’s operating business. especially on mobile, while effectively separating our Asian asset equity stakes. It is an important step to unlock shareholder value for Yahoo, and we can now move forward with confidence and certainty. We have a terrific, loyal, experienced team at Yahoo. I’m incredibly proud of our team’s strong product and financial execution in 2016, setting the stage for a successful integration.”

Verizon hopes that its new acquisition will help it move outside its traditional telecommunications role and into the mobile media and advertising world, while Yahoo simply seems eager for some relief from its many problems.

Article updated on 2-21-2017: Added news that the renegotiated price is $350 million less than originally planned. 

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Dashlane simplifies digital credential management for people, teams and businesses
Dashlane credential management tool for teams featured image

Have you ever considered a credential management tool for your team or business? Allow me to explain. When it comes to digital and online safety, something you hear often is never to share your credentials, account details, or passwords with anyone. You're not supposed to share account details or passwords, even with people you know well. That's not necessarily because they can't be trusted, it's more that you never know how someone else will handle your sensitive information. If they stow it somewhere easily accessible, like in a plain text document on their desktop, it weakens your security and makes your accounts more vulnerable. Plus, there’s no telling who they’ll share that information with.

Keeping your logins to yourself is also how you’re advised to protect professional or business accounts in the workplace. But it makes things more difficult, especially when you’re working with a team. Sometimes, you need tool or platform logins to be available to everyone. There is a much better way to administrate password sharing, and most importantly, it doesn’t compromise security. The answer is a digital credential management tool like Dashlane.

Read more
Thanks to Squarespace Refresh website building has never been more intuitive
squarespace refresh makes web building intuitive featured image

When it comes to building and designing your own website, from scratch, there is a lot of trial and error involved. Believe me, I've been there. But what's more important as an entrepreneur and when you're trying to present your business, big or small, is that the presentation has to be decidedly professional. It needs to be attractive and user-friendly, with easy access to everything that's most important for your business. Whether that's a section to browse available products, checkout, learn more about you and the team, or something else entirely. It's a lot of work and requires a lot of time invested. It's so much easier to have a templatized and convenient builder handy.

That's precisely where you can turn to something like Squarespace, which makes it so much easier to build the website of your dreams. But even more exciting is Squarespace's 2024 Refresh announcement. A product showcase, the brand says it creates a "new era for entrepreneurs." From new design tools with AI-powered features to enhanced business solutions to bring your business websites to the next level, the goal is to elevate your experiences and those of your visitors or customers. Let's take a closer look.

Read more
The 10 best VPN services for 2024, reviewed by experts
Surfshark VPN on Mac protecting user data.

You rely on the internet to stay connected to friends, family, and coworkers, monitor the news, shop, pay bills, and more. That makes privacy and security more important than ever, and a virtual private network (VPN) is one of the easiest, cheapest, and most effective ways to hide your location and safeguard your online activities from unwanted network intruders.

But if you're having trouble choosing the right VPN service for your budget and security needs, don't worry: We can help. Below, you'll find a list of the best VPNs around. Our comprehensive guide to the best VPN services covers pricing, features, and all the information you need to make an informed decision.

Read more