Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer and Adobe’s CEO Shantanu Narayen yesterday held a meeting behind closed doors at the Adobe CEO’s office. The meeting which lasted for over an hour has been speculated to have covered a range of topics including Apple and its stronghold on the mobile market.
Speculations include a merger between Microsoft and Adobe as well as the possible acquisition of Adobe by Microsoft.
The meeting was leaked through anonymous employees and consultants who were involved in the discussions or familiar with the organizations, were instructed to stay quiet about the meetings.
Though the possibility of a union between the two companies could push the two companies ahead of the game, it seems strange the two could possibility join forces after the two became really combative after 2007 when Microsoft started promoting their Silverlight plug-in which directly competed against Adobe Flash.
Sources both at Adobe and Microsoft have not denied that the meeting took place but are staying hushed over the exact nature of the meeting. One source has stated that this is not the first time Microsoft has spoken to Adobe over a possible acquisitionmerger.
Several years ago Microsoft had courted Adobe but the deal never moved past informal talks as Microsoft feared a block due to antitrust laws.
Source: New York Times
