Google køber sig ind i HTC og får adgang til patenter i mobilafdelingen.
Producenten af Googles Pixel smartphone, HTC, knyttes tættere sammen med Google. Det sker efter at Googles moderselskab, Alphabet, har købt sig ind, og fået adgang til ansatte og patenter i HTC’s mobildivision.
Google har investeret 1,1 mia. dollars, lige under 7 mia. kroner, i HTC.
Som en del af handlen så overtager Google en del af HTCs udviklingsafdeling, som i dag arbejder med Googles Pixel telefoner. Ifølge avisen The New York Times så estimerer HTC at det drejer sig om over 2.000 udviklere.
HTC har haft svært ved at tjene penge i den hårde konkurrence der er i smartphone-markedet, samtidig med at andre producenter fra Storkina har snuppet markedsandele fra den taiwanesiske producent. Hvor HTC for blot 5 år siden havde en markedsandel i verden på ca. 9% så er den i dag under 1%.
Myndighederne skal nu godkende overtagelsen før handlen kan falde på plads. Det ventes at ske senest i begyndelsen af 2018.
Med investeringen i HTC bliver Google igen hardware-producent, og dermed en større konkurrent til partnerne i Android. Google har tidligere ejet Motorola i en periode, indtil de solgte den del fra til Lenovo.
Pressemeddelse fra HTC
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Google (NASDAQ: GOOG, GOOGL) and HTC Corporation (TWSE: 2489) today announced a definitive agreement under which certain HTC employees – many of whom are already working with Google to develop Pixel smartphones – will join Google. HTC will receive US$1.1 billion in cash from Google as part of the transaction. Separately, Google will receive a non-exclusive license for HTC intellectual property (IP). The agreement is a testament to the decade-long strategic relationship between HTC and Google around the development of premium smartphones. This agreement also supports HTC’s continued branded smartphone strategy, enabling a more streamlined product portfolio, greater operational efficiency and financial flexibility. HTC will continue to have best-in-class engineering talent, which is currently working on the next flagship phone, following the successful launch of the HTC U11 earlier this year. HTC will also continue to build the virtual reality ecosystem to grow its VIVE business, while investing in other next-generation technologies, including the Internet of Things, augmented reality and artificial intelligence. For Google, this agreement further reinforces its commitment to smartphones and overall investment in its emerging hardware business. In addition to the talented and experienced team of professionals, Google will continue to have access to HTC’s IP to support the Pixel smartphone family. Additionally, this agreement also represents a significant investment by Google in Taiwan as a key innovation and technology hub. “As a pioneer of the smartphone market, we are very proud of our history of innovation. Our unmatched smartphone value chain, including our IP portfolio, and world-class talent and system integration capabilities, have supported Google in bolstering the Android market,” said Cher Wang, Chairwoman and CEO of HTC. “This agreement is a brilliant next step in our longstanding partnership, enabling Google to supercharge their hardware business while ensuring continued innovation within our HTC smartphone and VIVE virtual reality businesses. We believe HTC is well positioned to maintain our rich legacy of innovation and realize the potential of a new generation of connected products and services.” “HTC has been a longtime partner of Google and has created some of the most beautiful, The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, is expected to close by early 2018. Evercore served as financial advisor to HTC and Gibson Dunn and Tsar & Tsai acted as legal counsel. Lazard served as financial advisor to Google and Cleary Gottlieb and Lee & Li acted as legal counsel. |
