January 21, 2008

The New York Times today lends credence to the recently whispered rumor that gargantuan Getty Images may be on the block with a theoretical asking price of a sweet $1.5 billion. For years now, Getty has been doing the gobbling -- and has lately been in the midst of cutbacks and restructuring. But who, pray tell, save a company such as Google, or Mr. Gates himself (whose Corbis has been, for the most part, out of focus since shortly after its founding, in 1989), will have pockets deep enough or enough complementary businesses to make an acquisition digestible, sensible, and potentially profitable for the long term?

Photo District New Online is a bit skeptical in its assessment. But the Times's Andrew Ross Sorkin is usually right on the money in his reporting. I say, Where there's smoke, there's fire.