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The countdown to Coinbase getting acquired has already started. Now it's just a matter of when it will happen and which of the tech giants will end-up owning it

by mtgx 8y ago

The countdown to Coinbase getting acquired has already started. Now it's just a matter of when it will happen and which of the tech giants will end-up owning it.

EthanHeilman 8y ago
Why would Coinbase agree to an acquisition by a tech giant? * Coinbase is making plenty of money, * Google, Facebook or Apple etc wouldn't provide much more additional value, * and there would be a real risk that an acquisition would be a disaster since tech giants clearly don't understand cryptocurrencies (see AOL/Timewarner). I could see an acquisition by a large bank or exchange.
- JumpCrisscross 8y ago
  > Coinbase is making plenty of money Coinbase’s volumes have consistently fallen every month since December. January was less than December, February less than January, March less than February, et cetera. They're not in a terrific place, for raising an up round nor selling their business. [1] https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-the-biggest-u-s-bitcoin-exchange-win-over-wall-street-1527418800 https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-the-biggest-u-s-bitcoin-exc...
  - EthanHeilman 8y ago
    Coinbase volumes spiked due to an insane spike in the price of Bitcoin. Starting your measurement on the peak of that spike seems likely to bias any trends. A better question is what does coinbase's volume look like if you measure 12 months from today or 24 months from today? [0] [0]: https://data.bitcoinity.org/markets/volume/2y?c=c&exchange=coinbase&r=week&t=b https://data.bitcoinity.org/markets/volume/2y?c=c&exchange=c...
- bufferoverflow 8y ago
  > Google, Facebook or Apple etc wouldn't provide much more additional value That's not true. All three have an enormous power when it comes to promoting certain technologies or companies. If Google starter promoting major cryptocurrencies instead of the silly GooglePay, the adoption would skyrocket. They literally have the power to change the world, and crush (some) fiat currencies. But they probably wouldn't, their wealth is somewhat dependent on the political favoritism.
Yizahi 8y ago
Why would tech giants want this particular industry? I don't see them buying guns manufacturers, despite that being a very profitable business.
CPLX 8y ago
I'm an extreme skeptic on crypto, I'm not sure it's really useful for anything. But it seems to me that if anyone did want to buy this company it would be an old-line financial institution.

by mtgx 8y ago

The countdown to Coinbase getting acquired has already started. Now it's just a matter of when it will happen and which of the tech giants will end-up owning it.

EthanHeilman 8y ago

Why would Coinbase agree to an acquisition by a tech giant? * Coinbase is making plenty of money, * Google, Facebook or Apple etc wouldn't provide much more additional value, * and there would be a real risk that an acquisition would be a disaster since tech giants clearly don't understand cryptocurrencies (see AOL/Timewarner). I could see an acquisition by a large bank or exchange.

JumpCrisscross 8y ago
> Coinbase is making plenty of money Coinbase’s volumes have consistently fallen every month since December. January was less than December, February less than January, March less than February, et cetera. They're not in a terrific place, for raising an up round nor selling their business. [1] https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-the-biggest-u-s-bitcoin-exchange-win-over-wall-street-1527418800 https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-the-biggest-u-s-bitcoin-exc...
- EthanHeilman 8y ago
  Coinbase volumes spiked due to an insane spike in the price of Bitcoin. Starting your measurement on the peak of that spike seems likely to bias any trends. A better question is what does coinbase's volume look like if you measure 12 months from today or 24 months from today? [0] [0]: https://data.bitcoinity.org/markets/volume/2y?c=c&exchange=coinbase&r=week&t=b https://data.bitcoinity.org/markets/volume/2y?c=c&exchange=c...
bufferoverflow 8y ago
> Google, Facebook or Apple etc wouldn't provide much more additional value That's not true. All three have an enormous power when it comes to promoting certain technologies or companies. If Google starter promoting major cryptocurrencies instead of the silly GooglePay, the adoption would skyrocket. They literally have the power to change the world, and crush (some) fiat currencies. But they probably wouldn't, their wealth is somewhat dependent on the political favoritism.

Yizahi 8y ago

Why would tech giants want this particular industry? I don't see them buying guns manufacturers, despite that being a very profitable business.

CPLX 8y ago

I'm an extreme skeptic on crypto, I'm not sure it's really useful for anything. But it seems to me that if anyone did want to buy this company it would be an old-line financial institution.