CNN bericht dat het amerikaanse Justice Department een stel adviseurs van Greenhill & Co. onderzoek laat verrichten naar de gevolgen van een mogelijke Microsoft breakup. Deze actie is volgens analysten een sterke indicatie dat de DoJ een Microsoft-hack 'n slash party overweegt:
he Justice Department has retained a New York investment firm to help analyze the financial effect of possible remedies against Microsoft Corp. - including a break-up of the software powerhouse, as the two sides await a final decision in their long-running antitrust trial.The move lends greater credence to the possibility that the government will seek a breakup of the software powerhouse if the two sides don’t reach a settlement before a federal judge hands down his final decision.
In a brief statement issued Thursday, the Justice Department said Greenhill & Co. would act as "financial advisor to assist the [antitrust] division in analyzing financial aspects of the full range of potential remedies in U.S. v. Microsoft, including conduct and structural relief."
William Kovacic, an antitrust professor at George Washington University Law School, said the Justice Department’s move is a strong indication that it is seriously considering a breakup of the company. "This is exactly the kind of thing you do if you’re thinking about a breakup,” he said.
