From CNET: The odd couple of search -- Microsoft and Yahoo -- have tweaked their partnership to give Yahoo more wiggle room.
The amended agreement, signed by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, has two main elements. First up, Yahoo will now be allowed to have more "flexibility to enhance the search experience" across mobile and desktop devices. In addition, the companies have modified their handling of ad sales, with Microsoft now exclusively handling the Bing ads on Yahoo Search and Yahoo continuing to sell ads through its own Gemini ads platform.
"We firmly believe that search is still in its infancy -- and this partnership marks the next chapter in our exploration of how to make search truly great," Mayer said in a statement Thursday.
The update to the search deal comes six years into a 10-year pact between the companies. In 2009, the companies' then-CEOs -- Microsoft's Steve Ballmer and Yahoo's Carol Bartz -- signed a deal that would see Micorosoft's Bing platform power Yahoo search. In return, Yahoo would be the exclusive sales force for ads and would receive a significant sum each year to be the brains behind Yahoo search.
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