News this weekend that Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) hired Steve Berkowitz away from IAC/InterActiveCorp's (Nasdaq: IACI) Ask.com division to head its online group could be viewed as a negative for Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) and Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO).

Berkowitz has been credited with turning around Ask.com, which has grown its search business considerably recently. If he can do the same thing for Microsoft's MSN Search, market share gains for Google and Yahoo could be curbed.