acquisitions | Internet Marketing Blog

Yahoo's ten biggest mistakes

The resignation/termination of now-formerly new Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson amid a resume scandal was an embarrassing moment for the once-great internet giant.

For most companies, such a collosal blunder would represent a faux pas of the highest order, but that's not the case for Yahoo, it's just one more in a long line of mistakes.

Here are the ten biggest mistakes the company has made...

by Patricio Robles 17 May 2012 13:48pm 6 comments

Draw Something: one app + five weeks + 20m downloads = $200m acquisition by Zynga

What does a single app that generates 20m downloads and $100,000 per day in revenue in five weeks? In the case of OMGPOP, the maker of the hit app Draw Something, it apparently gets you acquired in week six.

Today, social gaming giant Zynga announced that it has acquired OMGPOP.

by Patricio Robles 21 March 2012 20:15pm 1 comment

Twitter acquires Posterous

Twitter has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in funding, and yesterday it apparently put some of that money to use in making what might be its most prominent, if not largest, acquisition yet.

What did Twitter buy? Short-form blogging site Posterous.

by Patricio Robles 13 March 2012 14:53pm 3 comments

Rumour: CNN to purchase Mashable for $200m

The next big (read: nine-figure) consumer internet acquisition may involve an unexpected buyer - CNN.

According to Reuters' Felix Salmon, the Time Warner-owned cable news network could announce as early as Tuesday that it is acquiring Mashable, one of the most popular tech/social media blogs for a figure that could be north of $200m.

by Patricio Robles 13 March 2012 09:59am 2 comments

Yahoo's five biggest acquisition screw-ups

Q4 financial results have hit us hard this week, from all directions.

Yes it's ridiculous that Apple’s quarterly net profit was larger than Google's Q4 gross revenue ($13bn versus £10.6bn), and yes it's sad to see Nintendo almost triple its estimated losses.

But what of Yahoo? It's still hanging on in there, with control of millions of Yahoo mail accounts and a chunk of display thrown in good measure.

by Vikki Chowney 26 January 2012 16:16pm 6 comments

Adobe announces acquisition of Efficient Frontier

Adobe today announced that it has acquired digital marketing technology and services company Efficient Frontier, though the value of the deal has not been disclosed.

According to Adobe, the move will "add multichannel ad campaign forecasting, execution and optimization" to its current offerings.

by Graham Charlton 30 November 2011 14:39pm 0 comments

Will Microsoft end up buying Yahoo?

In early 2008, Microsoft was willing to spend close to $45bn to buoy its search position. We know what happened next: Yahoo rebuffed, Microsoft walked away and Yahoo has floundered ever since.

It turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Microsoft. The economy, along with the stock market, tanked later in the year, saving Microsoft from what could have gone down as one of the worst timed deals in M&A history.

And despite the stock market's rebound over the past several years, Yahoo is still valued at well under half of what Microsoft was willing to pay in 2008.

by Patricio Robles 24 November 2011 15:41pm 1 comment

Is Google's Zagat acquisition its most problematic ever?

Yesterday, Google announced that it is acquiring Zagat, a company whose name has become synonymous with printed restaurant guides. By size, the acquisition is likely nowhere near Google's largest.

As observed by TechCrunch, it appears that the acquisition price was under $66m.

But Google's Zagat acquisition has created quite a lot of buzz, and for good reason: this could arguably be Google's most problematic and challenging acquisition ever.

by Patricio Robles 09 September 2011 12:21pm 3 comments

Google's Motorola Mobility acquisition: what folks are saying

Yesterday, Google agreed to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5bn. If regulators approve the deal, it will represent its largest acquisition ever.

It's a bold move by Google co-founder and now-CEO Larry Page, and one which could literally make or break Android.

Not surprisingly, the acquisition has sparked significant discussion and debate. We've rounded up some of the most interesting things observers are saying. The consensus? Google either made the best move of its life, or the worst.

by Patricio Robles 16 August 2011 13:40pm 0 comments

Caveat emptor: SeedSummit's standardized seed financing terms

Times are good for internet entrepreneurs. VC money is flowing again, supporting a startup boom the likes of which hasn't been seen since the late 1990s.

Large companies aren't shy about acquiring technology and talent, and for the most promising companies, the public markets are once again open for business.

Although much of the startup investment activity and buzz is focused on startups in Silicon Valley and New York, Europe isn't without startup action of its own.

by Patricio Robles 08 July 2011 15:46pm 0 comments