Ben & David venture into the semiconductor world, analyzing two hallmark Apple acquisitions: P.A. Semi and AuthenTec, both of which would go on to form the basis of core Apple product features in the "A" series of processors and TouchID sensors. Was Cupertino smart to bring these components in-house? Is there more value realized in the whole of Apple's products than the sum of its parts? We investigate! (Spoiler alert: um, yeah. :)

Ben & David wrap up 2016 with a review of the top tech themes we discussed on the show this year, and look forward to which themes we think will be relevant in the coming year. Can our hosts predict the future? Tune-in in 2018 to find out!

‍Note: we apologize for the less-than-amazing audio quality on this one. We're still working on tuning our remote recording setup!

Ben & David welcome very special guest Tom Alberg, board member and first lead investor in Amazon.com, to cover the IPO of "earth's most customer-centric company". From longterm thinking to flywheels to riding big waves, this episode is chock full of lessons and stories from the journey of building one of tech's most iconic franchises. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we did recording it!

Ben & David chat with Brian Schultz, the Managing Director of Strategic Investments & Corporate Development at Microsoft, about Microsoft's approach to M&A, investing, and partnering with startups — and his journey from acquirer to acquiree and back again!‍

Ben and David complete the Disney acquisition trilogy, covering the "house that Mickey built"'s 2009 acquisition of Marvel Entertainment. Will our own superheroes save the day for shareholders, or perish at the hands of villainous corporate raiders? Tune in to find out!

Hey Acquired listeners. A note about this show: we recorded this episode the night before the 2016 Election Day in the US. At the time, the biggest change we saw coming was adding a new type of content to Acquired in analyzing IPO's, which we introduce in this episode. Two days later, we woke up to a very different world than the one we were expecting.

Reflecting on what's happened, and the past few months of our show, we wanted to say two things:

First, we want to apologize for our cavalier attitude toward this election cycle, and our glossing over the clearly very real problems and deep divide in America that it represented. In the Skype episode, David pretty glibly compared the AT&T - Time Warner merger to "Make America Great Again", arguing that any reactionary force is "on the wrong side of history" and cannot be relevant in a changing world. That was wrong, the sentiment behind it was wrong, and it was insensitive to the very real pain a lot of people are feeling out there on both sides. 

Second, looking back on this particular episode about the Facebook IPO, we think it actually might present a relevant parable for our country right now and--we hope--some important lessons for the technology industry going forward. For all the wonderful aspects of the tech industry that we celebrate on this show, there is no doubt that it also bears a great deal of responsibility for the current divide in America, and especially in its contribution to wealth inequality. Likewise, for all the wonderful aspects to the Facebook IPO story, as told in this episode, there is a very dark side as well: Facebook shareholders, investment banks and institutional investors raked in billions of dollars at the expense of individual retail investors who lost their shirts. 

At the same time, Facebook's perseverance through their "broken IPO", and their determination in overcoming with incredible speed the massive, existential challenge to their business model posed by mobile, is something we think *can be* an inspiration to us all on how to move forward even when that seems hard. We hope you'll listen to this episode with that in mind and think about how you, we, and the technology industry as a whole can do better in serving everyone in this country and in the world. 

Thanks for being on this journey with us. We're sorry for our shortcomings, and we're going to keep working hard to do better. 

- Ben & David

An acquisition so wild and crazy, they had to do it again. And again. Ben & David cover tech's perhaps most-traded asset, Skype (which also happens to be a fantastic business). How do we even know which deal to grade? Tune in to find out...

Ben & David broadcast live from the 2016 GeekWire Summit covering one of the all-time greats, Apple's 1996 acquisition of NeXT. This episode has it all: the Steve Jobs hero story, Apple, I.M. Pei, Ross Perot, Aaron Sorkin, Nobel Laureates and... Gil Amelio? Does NeXT rank atop the best acquisitions ever? Our own heroes cast their votes.

CFO of Zillow Group Kathleen Philips joins Ben and David to cover the show's first true "merger" versus "acquisition" (only took 22 episodes!), Zillow's 2015 combination with Trulia to form Zillow Group.

‍Note: our audio glitches unfortunately continued on this episode, and quality is rough. We recommend listening on speakers vs headphones if you're able. We apologize and will be back to normal quality next time!

Ben and David go inside the M&A press with Bloomberg's technology M&A reporter and host of the Deal of the Week Podcast, Alex Sherman. If you've ever wondered how stories about big deals get broken or what "according to people familiar with the matter" really means, tune in for the behind-the-scenes scoop!
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Note: A technical glitch with our recording setup created occasional short silences between Alex's comments and Ben & David's. It shouldn't impact listenability, but we apologize for the awkward pauses!

Ben & David examine Google's 2005 purchase of Android for a rumored $50M, undeniably one of the best technology acquisitions of all time. But will it top the list of these tough graders? Tune in to find out.

Ben & David break down Jet.com's meteoric rise, culminating in Walmart's blockbuster $3B+ acquisition of the company just two years after its founding. Will we look back on this deal as an ‘Instagram-like' bargain or a ‘Pets.com'-sized blunder? And most importantly, can *anyone* compete with Amazon going forward? We speculate wildly.

Ben & David are joined by special guest Taylor Barada, VP and Head of Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships at Adobe, to discuss how large tech acquirers approach buying companies. This episode is full of great insights for startups & entrepreneurs who might find themselves navigating the M&A process, as well as anyone curious about the craft of dealmaking and the strategic approach of large acquirers.

Topics Covered

• How conversations begin between startups and acquirers
• The importance of building a relationship with acquirers over time and "investing in lines, not dots" (just like raising VC)
• The often under-appreciated role of culture fit between acquirers and acquisition targets
• How entrepreneurs should evaluate acquirers throughout the M&A process
• Two examples of successful acquisitions Taylor completed at Yahoo in Citizen Sports and IntoNow
• The M&A process at large technology acquirers, from initial conversations to LOI, due diligence and the definitive merger agreement
• The relative roles of Corp Dev, business/product owners and executive sponsors in the M&A process
• Common mistakes startups (and VC's) often make in the M&A process
• Different "categories" of M&A that acquirers think about, and the relative risks & opportunities of "core" acquisitions vs transformative new businesses
• What percentage of deals Adobe looks at actually happen, and the importance of being willing to say no
• M&A as a tool for strategy, and the different M&A cultures & approaches at different companies
• Tech themes Taylor and Adobe think about as part of their M&A strategy
• Evaluating the longterm success of deals and the importance of the M&A integration function

Follow-ups

• Ben & David's quick take on Instagram Stories! 

Carve Outs

• Ben: Why the Concorde failed by Vox
• David: Simone Biles, the greatest gymnast of all time
• Taylor: Mindset by Carol Dweck, Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant

Ben and David navigate the mobile platform wars of 2012-13, avoiding speed traps en route to Waze's destination as a $1B+ acquisition by Google.

The meta show: Ben and David turn their gaze inward and examine the podcasting industry through E. W. Scripps' recent acquisitions of the Midroll podcast advertising network and Stitcher podcast client. Featuring discussion of our own product process and metrics at Acquired.

Ben and David return to make their first foray into enterprise software, covering Salesforce's $2.5B acquisition of ExactTarget in 2013 with the help of special guest and ExactTarget cofounder & CEO, Scott Dorsey.

‍Technical note: due to an issue we didn't catch during recording, audio quality is significantly lower than usual for this episode (especially David's voice). We apologize but hope you'll give it a chance anyway— Scott offers great wisdom & insights, and the ExactTarget success story is a inspiring one underdog entrepreneurs, especially (but not limited to!) anyone located in the Midwest or elsewhere outside of traditional "Silicon Valley-style" tech hubs.

Ben and David cover the 3-day-old acquisition of LinkedIn by Microsoft for $26.2 billion. They cover LinkedIn's founding story by Reid Hoffman, break down their core businesses, analyze recent stock behavior, and speculate on the future of the company inside Microsoft. The big question - were they worth the price tag?

Ben and David are joined by Todd Bishop, technology reporter and co-founder of GeekWire, to discuss Facebook's 2011 acquisition of Push Pop Press. Highlights include:

• The founding story of Push Pop Press by Kimon Tsinteris and Mike Matas.
• The evolution of Facebook Creative Labs, Facebook Paper, and eventually, Facebook Instant Articles.
• Facebook's role in the changing media landscape today.
• GeekWire's experiments with Facebook Instant Articles, Google Accelerated Mobile Pages, and live video.

Ben and David tackle their first failed acquisition: Facebook's 2013 offer to buy Snapchat. They cover the fascinating story of Snapchat's creation and growth, their blossoming business model, how it would be different inside of Facebook, and what the future holds.

Ben and David return to technology acquisitions by examining a classic: eBay's 2002 purchase of PayPal.