The new VC playbook: Buy old businesses, power them with AI
Legacy businesses are suddenly becoming Silicon Valley's new frontier
Acquisition articles
OpenAI bets big on hardware with $6.5 billion acquisition of Jony Ive's startup
Ive says current AI hardware like the Humane AI Pin and Rabbit R1 are "very poor products"
VPN service cancels customers' lifetime subscriptions after takeover, says new owners didn't know they existed
Lifetime subscriptions rarely last a lifetime
WTF?! When you see an advertisement for a "lifetime" subscription to something, always remember that it rarely means your lifetime. Those who took out lifetime subscriptions to VPNSecure discovered this when the company was taken over by new owners who promptly canceled the subs. Their excuse? They didn't know some customers had them.
Samsung acquires Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Marantz, in $350M audio deal
Supercharging Samsung's premium audio ambitions
What just happened? Samsung and its subsidiary, Harman International, have just signed a $350 million all-cash deal to acquire the consumer audio business of Masimo Corporation, bringing several of the industry's most iconic audio brands under their umbrella. This includes Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Marantz, Polk Audio, and Definitive Technology. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of the year, pending regulatory approval.
OpenAI wants to buy Chrome if Google is forced to sell
The big picture: If Google really is forced to sell Chrome – as proposed by the DOJ after the company was ruled a monopoly in its antitrust trial – OpenAI could emerge as a potential buyer. The ChatGPT maker has admitted it's interested in acquiring the world's most popular browser and turning it into an "AI-first" experience.
SK hynix finalizes acquisition of Intel's NAND business, takes full control of Solidigm
Intel's exit from NAND market marks another strategic pivot to growth areas
What just happened? Intel and SK hynix have finalized an $8.85 billion deal that transfers Intel's NAND flash memory business to the South Korean semiconductor giant, marking the completion of a multi-year transaction that began in 2020. The final phase of the acquisition concluded with SK hynix making a $1.9 billion payment to Intel.
Musk merges startup xAI and Twitter, betting on AI to revitalize social media
X posts will continue fueling xAI's training data
What just happened? Elon Musk has orchestrated another move in his sprawling business empire, announcing on Friday that his artificial intelligence firm, xAI, has acquired X (formerly Twitter). The all-stock transaction values X at $33 billion, including $12 billion in debt, and xAI at $80 billion, creating a combined entity Musk says will "unlock immense potential" and provide "smarter, more meaningful experiences" for users.
Napster, the original P2P file sharing service, just sold for $207 million
Napster is still making noise a quarter-century later
Perplexity still wants to buy TikTok, vows to rebuild algorithm and add community notes
It proposes to open-source the "For you" recommendation system
Trump confirms four bidders are in talks for TikTok, deal may be close
TikTok needs to find a buyer by early April
Humane shuts down Ai Pin business as HP buys the company, devices will be bricked
Not everyone will receive a $700 refund
Honda and Nissan call off merger talks, ending $60 billion deal discussions
One proposal involved Nissan becoming a subsidiary of Honda
Musk dismisses TikTok acquisition rumors, says he prefers to build companies from scratch
MrBeast expressed relief
"We loved VMware. Now we hate it": Customers react to Broadcom's changes
VMware users face skyrocketing costs and support issues after Broadcom acquisition
Arm considers acquisition of data center chipmaker Ampere
A deal could reshape the data center processor landscape
Getty and Shutterstock announce $3.7B merger to dominate stock photos
AI-generated imagery could upend the stock photo industry
Qualcomm backs off full Intel acquisition, could consider buying select divisions
Regulatory hurdles deter Qualcomm's acquisition plans
In brief: It appears that what could have been one of the largest and most disruptive tech acquisitions in history is not going to happen any time soon, if at all. A new report claims that Qualcomm's interest in acquiring struggling Intel has cooled, partly due to the complexities of such a deal.
Sony in talks to acquire Kadokawa, bringing Elden Ring maker FromSoftware under its wing
Along with lots of other game, manga, and anime IPs
Microsoft confirms it's working on a handheld, but it's years away
Also, acquisitions aren't over, and any Microsoft game could potentially come to PlayStation or Nintendo
Apple buys 20% stake in iPhone satellite service partner Globalstar
The money will be used to fund further expansion
What's the biggest tech acquisition in history?
Who spent the big bucks: Microsoft, Dell, Broadcom or was it Elon?
Qualcomm delays Intel buyout decision until after US election
Qualcomm waits to gauge if the next administration's policies will support the deal
Ubisoft stock surges following Tencent and Guillemot buyout discussions
It still has a long way to go to rebuild its finances
DirecTV and Dish plan merger to survive streaming era, pending regulator approval
DirecTV is paying $1 for Dish, while assuming $9.8 billion in debt