Yahoo may sell off its advertising platform in a move to save costs and jobs as reports of massive layoffs loom. AllThingsD says CEO Scott Thompson has visited Google, Microsoft and investment company Silver Lake to present the idea. (Presumably, he filed his lawsuit against Facebook between visits.)

The concept behind such a sale, according to several sources inside and outside the company, is to turn a cost center into a revenue source, with Yahoo essentially outsourcing a business that has once been a cornerstone of its strategy. A negotiable number of employees affiliated with those units would then move over to the new owner. The most ideal plan, said sources, would be to sell Yahoo’s whole advertising technology “stack,” including the Right Media Exchange, a marketplace for advertisers, publishers and ad networks to trade online ads. Yahoo bought it for $700 million in 2007.

The notion of job savings doesn't necessarily mean employees would stay with Yahoo. The company would reportedly negotiate for some number to move along with the businesses. Image: AllThingsD