|
Microsoft, eBay ink pact
|
 |
March 12, 2001: 4:18 p.m. ET
Companies plan strategic alliance to expand global Web presence
|
NEW YORK (CNN) - Microsoft and Web auctioneer eBay announced a strategic alliance Monday to develop e-commerce applications and expand their global online presence.
The companies said they will work together to enable buyers and sellers to interact on a number of Microsoft's Web properties, including some of its worldwide MSN Network sites.
Under the agreement, San Jose, Calif.-based eBay will support Microsoft's emerging Internet technologies, which it has dubbed ".NET," with which the company is aiming to extend its reach into the market for Internet-based software and services.
Microsoft's .NET strategy is based on a software technology called XML. That stands for Extensible Markup Language, and it allows for the exchange of data across different software platforms. 
In exchange for eBay's adoption of Microsoft .NET, Microsoft has agreed to integrate eBay's online marketplace into a number of its online properties, including its flagship MSN portal, Carpoint, bCentral and WebTV.
eBay is the first big-name Internet company to throw its weight behind Microsoft's .NET strategy, which it first unveiled about eight months ago.
The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Steve Ballmer, Microsoft' chief executive, and Meg Whitman, eBay's top executive, told CNNfn's The Money Gang Monday that they are hoping the new technology will help them boost their bottom lines. However, they also said it will take some time before the partnership yields any positive financial results. (346K WAV) or (346K AIFF)
"By working with Microsoft's cutting-edge technology, we will significantly strengthen eBay's marketplace and our community's ability to trade seamlessly at any time from anywhere on the planet," eBay's Whitman said.
The two companies also said they are collaborating on a variety of other projects around Web services integration.
Shares of Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft (MSFT: Research, Estimates) were off $1.91 at $54.78 early Monday, while eBay (EBAY: Research, Estimates) was off 56 cents to $33.41 in a down market. 
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
