5 ms·

Google not acquiring Akamai

101 points by tatsuke95 15y ago

culturestate 15y ago
This acquisition just doesn't make sense for Google, especially for the (likely) $5+ billion price tag. It'd make much more sense for a company like Apple or Facebook - i.e. one that didn't just finish building its own CDN.
- ltamake 15y ago
  It /would/ make sense for Google. Think about how many customers Akamai has and the business they're in -- Google probably really wants a part of that. Also, how would it make sense for Apple or Facebook to acquire Akamai? Apple's in the computer and mobile devices business (and has its own datacentre for iCloud to worry about), and Facebook has no use for Akamai outside of the services it currently receives as a customer. It would be stupid for either company to consider buying it at this point. Just my opinion.
  - culturestate 15y ago
    I'm not advocating that anyone should be buying it, only that it makes more sense for someone who doesn't already have their own massive CDN. Apple and Facebook are just the first two major Akamai customers that came to mind.
  - catshirt 15y ago
    this is not my forte, but i don't think apple is simply a hardware business. they are becoming a media fixture.
anigbrowl 15y ago
http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0060/6102/products/book_buy_sell_sell_new.jpg http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0060/6102/products/book_buy...
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
- daeken 15y ago
  They could've been in talks with Akamai; the rumor was that a deal was imminent and that's apparently not true, but that doesn't mean a deal couldn't be at some stage of progress.
- adgar 15y ago
  Well, when you mix that rumor with a half-baked analysis based on a few baseline public statistics, it's "mostly" a rumor and "partly" bullshit.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
TamDenholm 15y ago
I really really really get bored of journalists reporting things they heard from anonymous sources. When I read something that cites an anonymous source, i just assume the journalist was bored and decided to make some shit up. Both this article and the article it refers to have done this and its getting extremely tedious. I'd like to see Journalists get a degree and a license just like a lawyer or a doctor, then maybe we'll get some integrity out of an industry that is filled to the brim of fear mongering bullshit artists.
- beambot 15y ago
  Really? I'm guessing that you think a license (which can be revoked) would result in more accountability. But just imagine how that sort of system could be used to clamp down on free press and free speech. I'd gladly keep the system we have now; I'll just get my news from credible sources and take _everything_ with a grain of salt. EDIT: And also... what does “It’s mostly just a rumor,” mean?
  - TamDenholm 15y ago
    It would in no way hamper free speech, just as requiring a lawyer to have a degree and license hasn't restricted a persons right to legal counsel. A lawyer's requirements to practice law are the guarantee that he is properly educated in the law, same with doctors. Granted the stakes aren't quite as high for journalists, but nor does the barrier of entry have to be made as high. The basics of how to be a Journalist with integrity should be taught and set as a standard, what those actually are, i'll leave to someone else to define, but putting an end to quoting anonymous sources i'd say is the starting point.
    - archgoon 15y ago
      How are you defining journalists again? Are bloggers journalists? Why or why not?
      - TamDenholm 15y ago
        If the idea i'm talking about was implemented, i'd define a Journalist as someone that has a degree and a license. Whether they are a guy with a blog or a nightly news anchor. The lack of definition right now is the kind of thing i'm talking about.
dchuk 15y ago
It really threw me off when they referenced "International Business Machines Corp." instead of IBM...I can't name another instance where someone decided to use the full name of IBM
- ltamake 15y ago
  Hah, same. It's like seeing someone spell out Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) or Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M). Just kinda weird.
- ilamont 15y ago
  Most professional news organizations have style guides that govern how to reference companies, states, titles, measurements, etc. For some really common acronyms it seems like overkill (IBM, FBI, etc.) but the copy desk will still enforce it.
cagenut 15y ago
Its not technically ironic but certainly amusing that businessinsider's story about akamai was so popular that it crashed their site, which could have been avoided by using akamai (or any cdn).
- alperakgun 15y ago
  It would be a good marketing effort by Akamai to boost their sales, by crashing mainstream business web sites;
DevX101 15y ago
Out of curiosity, I wonder if it would be illegal for a journalist to falsely report a critical story about a company while buying short term puts to profit from the stock freefall. There are early stage biotech companies going through clinical trials where reporting failure could easily tank the stock 80% in a day. While this is clearly ethically corrupt, this technically isn't insider trading since the journalist didn't have any insider info in the first place. Any thoughts?
- aaronblohowiak 15y ago
  That is Securities Fraud. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_and_distort http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_and_distort
- deepGem 15y ago
  No, it wouldn't be illegal as the journalist is purely speculating without any insider information. However, if the money involved in the trade is high and SEC's eyes fall on the trade - there is a possibility of an investigation but that would be rare.
  - adgar 15y ago
    It really says something that we apply the word "journalist" to people who "speculat[e] without any insider information."
    - deepGem 15y ago
      In this context, yes. Not a generalization.
rshm 15y ago
I think Amazon would be a good purchasing party, Google alike.
orijing 15y ago
> “It’s mostly just a rumor,” according to the report. What does that mean?
- sabat 15y ago
  Sounds like someone is really trying to say, "it's true, but I don't want you to think it's true until we announce it."

101 points by tatsuke95 15y ago

This acquisition just doesn't make sense for Google, especially for the (likely) $5+ billion price tag. It'd make much more sense for a company like Apple or Facebook - i.e. one that didn't just finish building its own CDN.

ltamake 15y ago
It /would/ make sense for Google. Think about how many customers Akamai has and the business they're in -- Google probably really wants a part of that. Also, how would it make sense for Apple or Facebook to acquire Akamai? Apple's in the computer and mobile devices business (and has its own datacentre for iCloud to worry about), and Facebook has no use for Akamai outside of the services it currently receives as a customer. It would be stupid for either company to consider buying it at this point. Just my opinion.
- culturestate 15y ago
  I'm not advocating that anyone should be buying it, only that it makes more sense for someone who doesn't already have their own massive CDN. Apple and Facebook are just the first two major Akamai customers that came to mind.
- catshirt 15y ago
  this is not my forte, but i don't think apple is simply a hardware business. they are becoming a media fixture.

anigbrowl 15y ago

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0060/6102/products/book_buy_sell_sell_new.jpg http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0060/6102/products/book_buy...

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

daeken 15y ago
They could've been in talks with Akamai; the rumor was that a deal was imminent and that's apparently not true, but that doesn't mean a deal couldn't be at some stage of progress.
adgar 15y ago
Well, when you mix that rumor with a half-baked analysis based on a few baseline public statistics, it's "mostly" a rumor and "partly" bullshit.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

TamDenholm 15y ago

I really really really get bored of journalists reporting things they heard from anonymous sources. When I read something that cites an anonymous source, i just assume the journalist was bored and decided to make some shit up. Both this article and the article it refers to have done this and its getting extremely tedious. I'd like to see Journalists get a degree and a license just like a lawyer or a doctor, then maybe we'll get some integrity out of an industry that is filled to the brim of fear mongering bullshit artists.

beambot 15y ago
Really? I'm guessing that you think a license (which can be revoked) would result in more accountability. But just imagine how that sort of system could be used to clamp down on free press and free speech. I'd gladly keep the system we have now; I'll just get my news from credible sources and take _everything_ with a grain of salt. EDIT: And also... what does “It’s mostly just a rumor,” mean?
- TamDenholm 15y ago
  It would in no way hamper free speech, just as requiring a lawyer to have a degree and license hasn't restricted a persons right to legal counsel. A lawyer's requirements to practice law are the guarantee that he is properly educated in the law, same with doctors. Granted the stakes aren't quite as high for journalists, but nor does the barrier of entry have to be made as high. The basics of how to be a Journalist with integrity should be taught and set as a standard, what those actually are, i'll leave to someone else to define, but putting an end to quoting anonymous sources i'd say is the starting point.
  - archgoon 15y ago
    How are you defining journalists again? Are bloggers journalists? Why or why not?
    - TamDenholm 15y ago
      If the idea i'm talking about was implemented, i'd define a Journalist as someone that has a degree and a license. Whether they are a guy with a blog or a nightly news anchor. The lack of definition right now is the kind of thing i'm talking about.

dchuk 15y ago

It really threw me off when they referenced "International Business Machines Corp." instead of IBM...I can't name another instance where someone decided to use the full name of IBM

ltamake 15y ago
Hah, same. It's like seeing someone spell out Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) or Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M). Just kinda weird.
ilamont 15y ago
Most professional news organizations have style guides that govern how to reference companies, states, titles, measurements, etc. For some really common acronyms it seems like overkill (IBM, FBI, etc.) but the copy desk will still enforce it.

cagenut 15y ago

Its not technically ironic but certainly amusing that businessinsider's story about akamai was so popular that it crashed their site, which could have been avoided by using akamai (or any cdn).

alperakgun 15y ago
It would be a good marketing effort by Akamai to boost their sales, by crashing mainstream business web sites;

DevX101 15y ago

Out of curiosity, I wonder if it would be illegal for a journalist to falsely report a critical story about a company while buying short term puts to profit from the stock freefall. There are early stage biotech companies going through clinical trials where reporting failure could easily tank the stock 80% in a day. While this is clearly ethically corrupt, this technically isn't insider trading since the journalist didn't have any insider info in the first place. Any thoughts?

aaronblohowiak 15y ago
That is Securities Fraud. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_and_distort http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_and_distort
deepGem 15y ago
No, it wouldn't be illegal as the journalist is purely speculating without any insider information. However, if the money involved in the trade is high and SEC's eyes fall on the trade - there is a possibility of an investigation but that would be rare.
- adgar 15y ago
  It really says something that we apply the word "journalist" to people who "speculat[e] without any insider information."
  - deepGem 15y ago
    In this context, yes. Not a generalization.

rshm 15y ago

I think Amazon would be a good purchasing party, Google alike.

orijing 15y ago

> “It’s mostly just a rumor,” according to the report. What does that mean?

sabat 15y ago
Sounds like someone is really trying to say, "it's true, but I don't want you to think it's true until we announce it."