MSFT + Google = !

If you didn't already catch it on our home page, Microsoft reportedly approached Google about a takeover of the leading search engine, according to the New York Times.

Google said no and plans to pursue plans to go public instead, even toying with the idea of auctioning shares directly to investors. If you want to be cynical, that could be interpreted as a statement that it'd rather be owned by literally everyone else in the world.

For a more amusing take, check out The Motley Fool's Lettermanesque list of Top 10 Implications of Microsoft Buying Google.

(Update: Todd Bishop rounds up some other commentaries on his blog.)