Confirmed: Google buying Meebo
updated 06:14 pm EDT, Mon June 4, 2012
Acquisition rumored previously, benefit unknown
Confirming the rumors from last month, Google has indeed acquired chat and social sharing service Meebo. In a blog posting on the company site, Meebo confirmed the acquisition today. The Meebo buy likely brings additional technologies and staff under the Google umbrella, but it is uncertain how the search giant will integrate the company it is buying into its current social efforts.
Meebo was founded in 2005 as a web-based instant message client in the vein of AIM, Yahoo IM, and similar offerings. Years later, the company developed the Meebo Bar, which adds a persistent social sharing and advertising layer to sites users visit. Recently, the company had been pushing a tool allowing users to create an interest profile to get custom recommendations delivered regularly.
Details were unavailable with regard to the price of the acquisition, but previous rumors about the deal had the sale totaling about $100 million. In confirming the deal, representatives from Google expressed their confidence that the transaction would lead to improvements in the capabilities of its Google+ social network.
