Tech giants poke around Facebook

TECH GIANTS POKE AROUND FACEBOOK
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Jon Swartz]
Microsoft, Google, Yahoo... who will invest in, if not own, facebook, the social-networking site? Last week, there were reports that Microsoft is in preliminary talks with Facebook about a 5% stake -- worth anywhere from $300 million to $500 million. Google is also reportedly interested in an investment. Last year, Yahoo and Viacom made bids to buy Facebook. Facebook could be worth as much as $6 billion today, Bear Stearns analyst Robert Peck says. He expects privately held Facebook to post a profit of about $30 million on revenue of $140 million this year, and register a $70 million profit on revenue of $358 million in 2008. He predicts $6 billion in revenue by 2016.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20071003/facebook.art.htm