Google Has Waze to Annoy Facebook In Map Tech Bidding War
Earlier this month it was reported that Facebook was in the final stages of acquiring Waze, the crowd-sourced app that gives users community-generated, real time traffic and road alerts including accidents, hazards, police traps, and more. The acquisition was priced at somewhere between $800-$1 billion.
Before anything was made official reports surfaced that the deal had hit a snag, as Facebook demanded the whole Waze team relocate from Israel to the US, but Waze wants to remain where it is.
The deal fell apart but it didn’t take Waze is off the market. Google, Apple and Microsoft are said to be placing their bids on Waze. The question now is, why are these tech giants so interested in a startup company? Especially curious is Google’s interest, given that it already has a respectable Maps application of its own.
Joining Kristin Feledy in this morning’s NewsDesk is SiliconANGLE Contributing Editor John Casaretto to give his Breaking Analysis on why Google wants to outbid Facebook for Waze.
“Waze’s inherent nature in mobility and [community] — you’ve got a winning combination there. Google could certainly adapt to Waze’s technology and add the social aspects to its successful Maps [app]. That’s a big position for them. Also a take over would also mean that it wouldn’t end up in competitor’s hands. So, a couple of big advantages for them, they add that social and they would kind of own that at that point,” Casaretto stated.
For more of Casaretto’s Breaking Analysis on Google’s interest in Waze, check out the NewsDesk video below:
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