Digital Journal reports on rumours that Microsoft has been in talks for several weeks about a possible acquisition of eBay.
If Microsoft did buy eBay, it would deliver Paypal and Skype to Microsoft as well, two of my favourite apps.
eBay has done a lot with both companies that has been positive, but I can’t imagine anything Microsoft would do with them could be seen positively. The very fact that Skype and Paypal are platform independent has seen their rapid rise, and Microsoft isn’t really known as being a fan of providing multi-platform support. Indeed, I’d suggest that Microsoft owning both would only provide one benefit, and that’s in helping Paypal and Skype competitors increase marketshare as people leave the service due to Microsoft’s ownership….and they will, because Microsoft’s hardly known as a champion of privacy rights either. The last thing I’d want is Microsoft monitoring my Skype calls and Paypal payments, and I’d suggest that neither would a whole pile of consumers and merchants who also utilise these services.
PayPal has lost a lot of trust since ebay bought it. Ripping money out of people’s bank accounts if transactions falter, is just not on. Nor is freezing accounts at the drop of a hat.
If Microsoft took them on, it would at least put some professionalism and big corp thinking into the project which may have to take on Google Wallet before long.