Over the past few years, Akamai has become that single Aunt Betsy that everybody's always trying to fix up. This week's suitor chatter finds Google on bended knee. And why not? Akamai's the top dog among content-delivery networks. Google would love to have it. But here's why a deal is unlikely to occur.
The clock is ticking for U.S. regulators to decide whether to sue Google to prevent its announced $700 million merger with ITA Software, the maker of the largest airfare-pricing platform. Google last month invoked a legal provision that gives the Justice Department 30 days to make a decision.
If you're waiting for Google to announce its new Facebook-beating social networking entry, you're going to be waiting awhile. CEO Eric Schmidt says Google's new plan is to gradually roll out some social networking features starting this fall, rather than launching a full-fledged standalone service.