There are many rumors on the Internet. Last week, 360 acquired Sogou in the form of stocks and partial cash. Other bidders include Baidu and Tencent. There are rumors that Sohu will use the money from selling Sogou to acquire PPTV. However, surprisingly, all the related issues involved were referred to as' rumors'. Sogou CEO Wang Xiaochuan not only directly pointed out the "rumor" on Weibo, but Qihoo 360 and Baidu also stated in interviews with Information Times that they would not respond to it.

Last Friday, Sohu Chairman and CEO Zhang Chaoyang responded for the first time at the group level, stating that Sohu holds $1 billion in cash and does not need Sogou as a "dowry" even if investing in videos.

Both the acquirer and the acquired party deny it

At the beginning of May, the "rumor" of Baidu's acquisition of PPS came true half a month later, and the Internet circle seems to prefer "gossip".

Last week, there were frequent rumors in the industry that Sohu wanted to sell Sogou and acquire PPTV for cash. Even the acquisition situation and future direction of Sogou CEO Wang Xiaochuan have been rumored to have been finalized: "360 will acquire Sogou in the form of stocks and partial cash, and Sohu will use the money from selling Sogou to acquire PPTV. Sogou CEO Wang has resigned, and there are rumors that he will join Alibaba

Regarding this, Sogou CEO Wang Xiaochuan directly pointed out on Weibo that this is a "rumor" and repeatedly refuted the rumors of Sogou being acquired.

In fact, not only Sogou denied the rumors from various parties involved, but Qihoo 360 and Baidu also stated in response to inquiries from reporters from the Information Times that they would not respond to this matter and would not "spread rumors".

Last weekend, Zhang Chaoyang, Chairman and CEO of Sohu, publicly stated that Sohu Group currently has sufficient cash flow and $1 billion, and will not sell Sogou to acquire PPTV. However, industry insiders pointed out that Zhang Chaoyang did not directly respond to whether Sogou intends to sell, so the rumors still need time to be verified.

Affected by merger rumors, Sohu 360's stock price has risen sharply

According to a reporter from the Information Times, Sogou, which is rumored to be for sale, has previously sought to go public multiple times. At present, Sogou's main businesses are Sogou Input Method, Sogou Search, and Sogou Browser.

According to the latest report from CNZZ, in April of this year, Baidu's share in the search field was 67.21%, 360's was 14.94%, and Sogou's was 9.15%. Industry insiders say that after Qihoo 360 entered the search field, Sogou's market share was difficult to break through, which is the motivation for Sogou's "sale" this time.

Stimulated by rumors that 360 will acquire Sogou for $1.4 billion, the stock prices of Sohu and Qihoo 360 have soared for several consecutive days. Within a month, Sohu's stock price rose by 34%, while Qihoo 360's stock price rose by 28.5%.

Overview of Internet M&A cases

In May 2011, Tencent invested 88.4 million US dollars in Yilong.com;

In June 2011, Qunar.com announced that it had received a $300 million investment from Baidu;

In September 2011, Renren acquired 56.com for $80 million;

In March 2012, two companies, Youku Tudou, merged;

In April 2013, Alibaba Group invested 586 million US dollars in Sina;

In May 2013, Baidu acquired PPS's video business for $370 million.