Like rats from a sinking ship

Being burrow dwellers by nature, rats live in the deepest recesses of the ship, in the bilge. This area is so low as to be almost inaccessible to the sailors. Thus the rats become aware of water entering the ship some time before the crew is alerted. As their nesting places are flooded, the rodents are impelled to flee the ship. Their continuous shrill cries of alarm quickly summon the rest of the rats from the hold. They build up into a large, frightened mass of rodents making a panicky exodus. This is, of course, a final calamity for the rats, since they will try to swim to eternity and usually do.

It is quite natural that a sight such as this would incite the passengers and crew to an equally hasty, harried departure but one that ends less disastrously. So when a series of high profile desertions happen in a company as big as Yahoo, you know what to make of it.

Microsoft, thwarted in its efforts to acquire all or part of Yahoo, would likely be happy to talk with any such big-name defectors, but in seeking to catch the overflow from the Yahoo brain drain, it's putting out the welcome mat for any of the discouraged rank and file, particularly those involved in search. It runs ads that scream "There are now very few companies that remain truly committed to defining the future of search and online advertising," the ad reads. "Microsoft is one of them. Come join a company with the resources, engineering expertise, R&D, partnerships and competitive spirit to make it happen."

Mmm, nothing like a big meal of poached Yahoo :)

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