New Yahoo! Inc. CEO Scott Thompson cleared an important hurdle this week, hosting his first earnings call since taking over the struggling company and reporting stronger-than-expected profits.

Google says that by tailoring its services to the specific needs of its millions of unique users, it will optimize customer experience. But there is no opt-out option for consumers who disagree with the policy.

The SOPA and PIPA protests showed that those who code have the upper hand and the Internet is king in the burgeoning arena of technology activism.

Almost half of employers are visiting the social network sites of potential hires. What are your profiles saying about you?

Coupon website Groupon Inc. filed Thursday to go public, looking to raise up to $750 million. The two-and-a-half-year-old Chicago-based company turned down a $6 billion takeover offer from Google Inc. last year and instead sought to pursue a public offering. After the craze of LinkedIn’s IPO, Groupon’s IPO is deemed to be another sign for a tech bubble by many people.

Do you trust Google? America says no, but according to a Harris Interactive poll, they’re pretty impressed with its balance sheet and coveted employee benefits. See why this cash cow is a worthwhile long-term investment.

Google’s second quarter saw rising revenues and earnings, but fell short of Wall Street expectations.

Given all the contention with the Google vs. China war, there’s a lot to be lost: Google can lose an estimated $300 million to $600 million if it pulls out of the country, China’s image can be further tarnished on the human-rights front. At least one company will benefit tremendously from this conflict, and it is the search-engine giant in China: Baidu Inc.

BY SHAHZAD CHAUDHARY – MEDILL REPORTS

I first noticed these signs a couple of days ago when I was driving West on Chicago’s I-290: giant billboards promoting Google’s ‘Apps at work.’ Google has launched a massive campaign to promote its business applications (Google Docs, G-mail, Spreadsheet, Presentation) with its cross-hairs set right on Microsoft.

Every day, for one [...]

The highly anticipated deal between Microsoft and Yahoo drew opposite reactions from their share holders.

BY YEWON KANG – MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

The market’s decision on the highly anticipated deal between Microsoft Corp. [[MSFT]] and Yahoo! Inc. [[YHOO]], announced early Wednesday? Microsoft, the winner, and Yahoo the loser.

Microsoft’s shares closed up 33 cents, or [...]