Would Google really buy Monster??

Google is just starting to roll out their Google Base offering and make their play into the world of online recruitment. I came across an article published today on CNNMoney.com suggesting that Google may be looking for a Monster under its bed.In an earlier post, we expressed our related view (even though there is no evidence to support that there is any reality to our hopes) that Google should be a Knight Ridder suitor (for local content and part CareerBuilder ownership) - see that post here. Google could easily afford Monster, but we all know that Google is already partnering with CareerBuilder on Google Base. While no one at either company would confirm or deny the reports, Monster did not rule out the possibility of a CareerBuilder type partnership with Google Base.

I have made a similar argument, and it seems that some analysts also think that it will be hard for Google to really be a serious threat to Monster on its own. Google may need a Monster type acquisition if it really wants to make a play into the already significant online recruitment market. All you have to do is look at Google’s recent big money investment in AOL to know that they are willing to use their financial heft to increase their presence in a market segment where they want to expand.

There are even suggestions that Google might not be the only company interested in Monster.  While we think Yahoo! and Google should be looking at Knight Ridder, Yahoo! might actually be considering a Monster buy out as well. Don’t count CareerBuilder or even News Corp out of the bidding either.

Read the CNNMoney article here.