Ebay close to acquisition of Stumble Upon

Ebay, the online auctions monopoly, is set to make another random web acquisition. The Wall Street Journal reports the online auctions giant is in "advanced talks" to acquire Stumble Upon, a popular service which recommends interesting new web pages for users to visit. There's no official confirmation on the deal, but the business newspaper reports the price is $75m. Om Malik came up with a heroic explanation of the logic of the combination, involving integration of Stumble Upon with Ebay's Skype internet telephone service. But we prefer a simpler interpretation: Ebay has more money, from its outrageous monopoly on online collectibles and other auctions, than sense.

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