Acquired - Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal

Latest Episodes:

YouTube Feb 03, 2016

Show notes

Ben and David test the widely-held belief that YouTube was one of the most successful tech acquisitions of all time. In today's world of next-generation video platforms, mobile video, streaming, and chord-cutting, was it actually a great purchase by Google?

As discussed in the show, here is Sequoia's original YouTube investment memo - a rarely-shared gold mine for anyone interested in startup investing.

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Lucasfilm Jan 19, 2016

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Riding closely on the tails of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Ben and David cover Disney's 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm. In the episode, they mention Walt Disney's original flywheel diagram, seen below.

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Siri Dec 14, 2015

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In the last episode of 2015, Ben and David discuss Apple's acquisition of Siri. Notable topics include:

The founding of Siri by Dag Kittlau, Adam Cheyer, and Chris Brigham.
Scott Forstall on the Apple side, and the end of his time at the company.
The other Apple acquisitions around Siri, including Topsy, Novauris Technologies, OttoCat.
Cue, Spotsetter, VocalIQ, and Perceptio.
The team Apple built around Siri post-acquisition, including Alex Acero from Microsoft Research.
Speculation on the future of voice and its role in everyday computing.

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Bungie (with Xbox Co-Founder Ed Fries) Nov 30, 2015

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Ben and David are joined by Former Microsoft VP and Co-Founder of Xbox, Ed Fries, to discuss the Bungie acquisition and the development of Halo. Highlights include:

Ed’s call with Steve Jobs after the acquisition, and sharing the stage with Steve and Bungie Co-Founder Alex Seropian at the Macworld Keynote.
Bungie today, and the unlikely path to get there led by Harold Ryan.
How to find something that all parties want to get a deal done, the creation Peter Tamte’s spin-out Mac gaming studio, and orchestrating the division of current Bungie projects and assets with Take-Two, led by Ryan Brandt.
Saving a project that’s off schedule and missing the mark, and how Jason Jones led the effort to make Halo 2 a hit at launch.

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Twitch Nov 16, 2015

Show notes

Ben and David discuss Amazon's acquisition of Twitch in 2014. Unlike previous episodes, this recent acquisition still has a lot of open questions, and Amazon hasn't publicly reported growth of Twitch since the purchase. Ben and David talk about Justin Kan's original product with Justin.tv, and the transformation into the Twitch that Emmett Shear is running today.

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Instagram Nov 01, 2015

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Ben and David discuss Facebook's acquisition of Instagram in 2012. Was it a success? If so, what are the criteria that made it work? What lessons can be learned for other acquisitions in the future?

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Pixar Oct 15, 2015

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Ben and David discuss Disney's acquisition of Pixar in 2006. Was it a success? If so, what are the criteria that made it work? What lessons can be learned for other acquisitions in the future?

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Trailer: What is Acquired? Oct 01, 2015

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Every company has a story. Learn the playbooks that built the world’s greatest companies — and how you can apply them.

The episodes are deep and heavily-researched, uncovering the full histories behind household names you thought you already knew like Rolex, Amazon, Starbucks, or NVIDIA. Enjoy!

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Acquired – Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal

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