Whoah. The New York Times (reg. req.) has a nice summary of many of the issues involved in Google's upcoming IPO (Microsoft and Google: Partners or Rivals?). The most interesting bit of news is that a couple of months ago Microsoft approached Google about a partnership or even a takeover. Although Google rejected the offer, "Microsoft may still be interested in pursuing Google at a later date, according to an executive briefed on the discussions." The article also notes the possibility of Microsoft attempting to rival Google as Microsoft rivaled (and subsequently defeated) Netscape.