Microsoft Corp. said Friday it won't totally uproot Yahoo Inc. from its Sunnyvale, Calif. headquarters if it succeeds in its bid to buy the Web portal company.

"In bringing the companies together, we would be committed to maintaining Yahoo's significant presence in Silicon Valley," wrote Kevin Johnson, president of Microsoft's platforms and services division, in an e-mail to employees. Johnson noted that Microsoft employs 1,800 people in nearby Mountain View.

Johnson's comments seem aimed at responding to Yahoo's decision to adopt new severance plans earlier in the week. All the company's full- time workers who lose their jobs without "cause" or quit "for good reason" after a Microsoft takeover would continue to receive salary and health insurance for four to 24 months, plus other benefits.

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Microsoft, Yahoo!, Corporate News