There is nothing more satisfying for startups, than established companies recognising them for performance and growth. To facilitate this recognition, money has never been lacking, especially in the form of acquisitions. Going by this tune here is taking a look at five of the largest tech acquisitions in the world!
1. Microsoft buys Skype for $ 8.5 billion
It was the year 2011 and Skype was entering the world of a technological revolutions. People were moving away from the traditional calling system to sophisticated platforms, with Skype setting the trail blazing. While not a lot of people thought Skype would succeed, Microsoft’s interest in the company cemented the fact Skype was here to stay. Incidentally, Skype was one of eBay’s first acquisitions in the year 2005. However, eBay could not create a market for itself in the industry and had to sell Skype. Skype is still going strong, but it has many more competitors these days in the form of messaging apps with built in voice calling features.
2. Google buys Motorola for $ 12.5 billion
In 2012, Google was primarily known for being one of the fastest search engines, while Motorola was an emerging name in the world of smartphones. When news came of the search engine wanting to take over this new smartphone company, people were skeptical. However, one of the major reasons this deal made it to the headlines was because Google not only acquired an emerging smartphone company, it also got the patent rights of Motorola! This acquisition was Google’s largest to date. However, despite promises, the search engine could not keep up with the growing trends and was forced to unload $ 2.9 billion from its initial investment. Can Google really keep up with the growing trends, or is it too much to expect from a seemingly strange acquisition such as this?
3. Walmart buys Flipkart for $ 16 billion
The Flipkart acquisition by Walmart was one of the most intriguing acquisitions in recent history. Flipkart was already an emerging e commerce platform, with its arms wide spread and reach constantly growing. Walmart, on the other hand had been looking at entering the Indian e commerce platform for a while and with Flipkart’s acceptance, the deal was made all the more sweeter! Post this deal, the e commerce world certainly took a completely different route in terms of change and growth!
4. Facebook buys WhatsApp for $ 19 billion
WhatsApp and Facebook on their own were strong forces in the field of technology and innovation. Built with the intention to connect people all over the world with ease, this acquisition was not out of the blue because, Facebook has a history of acquiring platforms that enhance its future growth. The $ 19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook marked a serious shift in industry trends. The 2014 deal, which could have cost the social media network up to $ 22 billion when all was said and done, netted it more than just a hugely popular internet based messaging app. Through the takeover, Facebook also got access to a data base of over 700 million users, marking this as one of the largest social media platform acquisitions in the world.
5. Microsoft buys LinkedIn for $ 26 billion
One of the most epic takeovers by Microsoft was that of LinkedIn. As a platform, LinkedIn was new, growing and entertaining. LinkedIn provided people in the know about where to look for jobs and how to look for them. However, being a relatively new entrant into the field, LinkedIn did not have the user base to connect with a large audience. With Microsoft, LinkedIn saw new light and new customers. At $ 26 billion, not only was this the third tech acquisition by Microsoft, it was THE largest investment made by Microsoft at that point.
Tech acquisitions are interesting. They make people want to explore, create and evolve, with an eye on the future. For more information on things happening in the tech world, do not forget to like, subscribe and comment!
