Google 'keeps quiet' about Microsoft-Facebook deal

26th October 2007

Search engine Google has so far declined to comment on losing out to rival Microsoft in a war over Facebook shares.

Microsoft paid $240 million (£117 million) for a 1.6 per cent stake of the social networking site. Google was also reportedly interested in becoming Facebook's exclusive advertising platform as it expands out of the US.

However Google chief executive Eric Schmidt declined to comment on the deal in a gathering at the company headquarters in Mountain View, California.

"There are plenty of companies using the notion of social community," he said.

"It is pretty obvious people will be members of multiple networks, which is why our world won't collapse with any one network."

Google's most recent partnership is with media research company Nielsen. The deal will enable the two businesses to share information on television viewing behaviour and extend Google's advertising platform into television.