Rafer sez:
Microsoft hollowed out Yahoo! the same way starting in early 2007. I had the pleasure of briefly reporting to the first of the microsoftees to be inserted into Sunnyvale.

Within the first five minutes of meeting that individual, he made some aggressive assertions that clearly contradicted Y!’s new President. I asked how that would all work. When he responded with, “Fuck Sue Decker,” I put a vacant little smile on my face and felt no need to say anything for the rest of the 30-minute meeting. It’s worth noting that he and I were the only two people in the meeting. 

M$’s acquisition attempt came later in the Y! case, but Redmond has probably improved their process as time moves on. 

See also @parislemon’s Introducing the Microsoft Puppet.