VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) said on Monday it will hand over its display advertising business to AOL Inc and AppNexus Inc, and sell some map-generating technology to ride-hailing app company Uber, as it slims down its money-losing online operations.

Activist-investor Starboard Value LP has reiterated that Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O) should consider a merger with AOL Inc (AOL.N) and cut costs to improve profits, spurred by media reports that Yahoo is exploring other large-scale acquisitions.

Verizon Communications Inc Chief Executive Lowell McAdam said the company is not planning any major acquisitions, following a report that Verizon had approached AOL Inc for a potential deal.

U.S. stock index futures edged higher on Tuesday following the largest losses on Wall Street since early October and ahead of a large data batch that will show the momentum of the U.S. economy at the end of last year.

Tim Armstrong, the chief executive of mass media company AOL Inc., on Saturday issued a memo informing employees that his company would revert to its previous employee retirement benefit plan after drawing outrage from employees. Armstrong also apologized for an unpopular remark he made in an attempt to explain the change in policy.

New York-based mass media company AOL Inc. reportedly sold media player Winamp and music service Shoutcast to Belgian online radio stations aggregator Radionomy. The deal is expected to be closed by the end of the week, said a TechSpot report.