February 1, 2008 11:22 AM

Is it Yahoo?

In this morning's Rocky Mountain News, I had a story that more and more people think the mystery buyer of the former Storage Technology is Microsoft and not Google.
When I heard this morning that Microsoft has offered $44.6 billion for Yahoo!, I thought wouldn't it be cool if Microsoft succeeds, it moves Yahoo! to the former StorageTek site?
A week ago today, Sun Microsystems sold the 432-acre parcel, with about 2 million square feet of buildings, to a company only known as ST Acquisitions LLC for $55.6 million.
At first blush, it would seem backwards for a company to buy the land for a giant corporate campus, before it even knows it is going to succeed in acquiring the company.
However, what if Microsoft knew it wanted Yahoo! at some point in the fairly near future, and the Sun campus happened to come along?
How often can you find such an assemblage on a key location, on what used to be known as Denver's version of the Silicon Valley?
Microsoft might have thought, if we buy Yahoo! we now have a place to move it, as well as other divisions that could work with the newly acquired company. Certainly, Microsoft is unlikely to find such a real estate gem in California. (And certainly not at this price, which would be chump change for Microsoft.)
The Seattle Times recently reported that at 388-acres, Microsoft's campus in Redmond, Wa., is one of the largest in the world. In other words, one of the largest office campuses in the world is about 11 pecent smaller than the former StorageTek campus.
Adding fuel to the speculation, there have been rumors that Microsoft employees have been recently house hunting in the Boulder area.
Also, representatives from the buyer have indicated to eco-devo types that they're in no hurry to step up the plate and start constructing buildings and razing old ones.
Frankly, if Microsoft bough the campus and failed to buy Yahoo! it could either sell the land or bank it until it finds a use for it.
Even as I buidl a ase for Microsoft and Yahoo!, I don't know if it is true.
It could end up being some company we've never heard of.
But if I were writing a rap song, my first line would go something like this: "It would be super cool to land the Yahoo! coup."

Posted by John Rebchook at 11:22 AM | Comments (1)