Xobni's timely marketing play
As Techcrunch implies in (Xobni's Secret Project: Merge Outlook With Yahoo Mail), Xobni is positioning itself for a marketing coup should Microsoft acquire Yahoo.
The strategic goal of many start-ups is to become acquired by Microsoft, make tons of money and move on to the next start-up venture. Most start-ups need to prove themselves first -- i.e., many people install and, more importantly, start to depend upon the start-up's product. Luckily for Xobni, Microsoft made its acquisition play -- though Xobni is still in beta.
A Microsoft acquisition of Yahoo plays nicely into Xobni's business plans -- however, it is not a strategic imperative.