Last week rumors hit the Internet that the VoIP based telephone company Skype was in talks to either be acquired or join in a huge deal with a major Internet company. Now yet another company has supposedly entered the fray, at least according to a new story at GigOm. Using unnamed sources, the story says that Microsoft could be in talks with Skype for "partnering with, acquiring or investing in Skype."
Last week Reuters reported, again via unnamed sources, that social networking company Facebook was in talks to either flat out acquire Skype or partner with it in a joint venture. The same story said that Google was also in talks with Skype about creating some kind of partnership. The talks were supposed to be in an early stage, according to the Reuters story. However today"s GigaOm report claims via its own sources that some kind of major deal will be announced by Skype sometime this week "perhaps as soon as Monday." It adds that its sources have reported that "corporate attorneys and other senior managers are burning the midnight oil this weekend, ahead of some kind of announcement."
Skype"s executives had previously set up the company for a public offering of stock but recently those plans were delayed until the second half of 2011. GigaOm speculates that "an investment from one of the three could give Skype the cash cushion as it waits out for its initial public offering, and could also be a way to buy out an antsy investor."