<http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071025/bs_nm/ facebook_dc_7;_ylt=AhY0.LH7cE1cFDMyaSQ2wIwE1vAI>
Microsoft beats Google to Facebook stake By Daisuke Wakabayashi
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) beat out Google Inc (GOOG.O) on Wednesday in a battle to invest in socializing Web site Facebook, agreeing to pay $240 million for a 1.6 percent stake in the Web phenomenon.
Microsoft also clinched exclusive rights to sell ads on Facebook outside of the United States as part of the investment that valued Facebook at $15 billion -- on par with the market capitalizations of retailer Gap Inc (GPS.N) and hotel chain Marriott International Inc. (MAR.N)
Analysts said Microsoft paid a steep price on a bet that the three- year-old company would be able to transform itself into a hub for all sorts of Web activity.
"The only way this works is if Facebook becomes sort of the users' operating system on the Internet -- everyone logs into Facebook every day to get in contact with their friends and use a multitude of future applications that will be developed for it," said Morningstar analyst Toan Tran.
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