... ruba will be closing shortly.
/cynical
Google acquires Ruba.com
11–17 of 17 posts
Re: Google acquires Ruba.com
#12Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think the point Google is making is that ruba.com will be shut down and the team Mike assembled will be integrated into iGoogle and other teams. They will not be working on ruba.com any more. Mike had assembled a world-class team, including former Googlers and Google wanted those people back working for them. It's the Google boomerang. :-)
1. Unsatisfied with working at Google, Googler leaves to become a founder at a startup 2. Startup does stuff that Google wants 3. Google acquires startup, Googler is back at Google 4. ??? 5. Profit!!
It's also a common strategy for someone in an organization to make a big vertical leap or move across the organization in a way that would be nearly impossible internally. Basically, an infrastructure engineer leaves and comes back as a VP of Product for social wizardry.
Re: Google acquires Ruba.com
#13There's another ex-Googler "local guide" startup at http://www.nextstop.com/. I wonder how they feel about this.
Re: Google acquires Ruba.com
#14[deleted]
Re: Google acquires Ruba.com
#15I wished people would use the word 'acquires' to describe those situations where a succesful start-up is bought by a larger company, not as a fig-leaf for dismembering a not-so-hot start-up or worse.
I feel like companies throw this around as a feelgood term to try and boost the esteem of the team after a liquidation.
For the founders it boosts their profile with one last feature on Techcrunch & in their resumes for the next job by touting "acquired by X" when in fact it was liquidated to X as a fire sale.
Re: Google acquires Ruba.com
#16There's another ex-Googler "local guide" startup at http://www.nextstop.com/ . I wonder how they feel about this.
Considering that Ruba was identical in most ways to Nextstop I imagine its a weird turn of events for them. If they ever wanted to be acquired by Google they probably just lost that opportunity
Re: Google acquires Ruba.com
#17There's another ex-Googler "local guide" startup at http://www.nextstop.com/ . I wonder how they feel about this.
Considering that Ruba was identical in most ways to Nextstop I imagine its a weird turn of events for them. If they ever wanted to be acquired by Google they probably just lost that opportunity
how many ex-Googlers would want to be acquired back by Google? this is getting ridiculous :)