Billionaire Warren Buffett reportedly part of Yahoo bid

NEW YORK – Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett is backing a consortium vying for Yahoo's Internet assets that includes Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

While there is no certainty that the consortium will ­prevail in the auction, the interest of Buffett and Gilbert is a boost for the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company, which has been surpassed in recent years by such rivals as Alphabet in the race for Internet users and advertising dollars.

The consortium's participation in the process also represents a challenge to U.S. telecommunications carrier Verizon Communications, whose deal to acquire AOL last year for $4.4 ­billion has made it a favorite to prevail in its bid for Yahoo's assets among industry analysts.

The consortium is in the second round of bidding in the auction for Yahoo's assets, the people said. Buffett is helping finance the offer, sources said.

It is not clear whether Gilbert, a billionaire who also owns the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA basketball team, is using Quicken Loans in any way as part of the consortium's bid.

The sources asked not to be identified because the details of the sale process are confidential. Buffett offered no immediate comment when reached by telephone. Quicken Loans declined to comment on behalf of Gilbert, while Yahoo declined to comment.

Reuters reported last month that Yahoo had shortlisted close to 10 bidders in the auction for its assets, with most offers coming from private equity firms.

Buffett, whose Berkshire is an IBM shareholder, said in a CNBC interview on May 2 that Yahoo's business had deteriorated significantly and that "something has to change there." He did not mention any potential bid on his part.

Susan Decker, who worked at Yahoo in several senior roles between 2000 and 2009, including president and chief financial officer, is now a director on Berkshire's board.

"I hope the next owner can do something to revitalize the spirit of the core things that made Yahoo very, very unique and create a distinction in consumers' minds about why they love Yahoo still. It will be helpful if it is private or part of a much larger corporation to achieve that," she said in an April 29 CNBC interview.