decor decor
"High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation."

-Charles Kettering

Google and HTC Announce $1.1B Cooperation Agreement

Financial Information
  • Transaction Value                                            $1.1B
Transaction Facts
  • Google and longtime partner HTC today announced a definitive agreement in which Google will acquire certain employees from HTC’s mobile division team — many of whom have worked on the Google Pixel smartphone line. Google will pay HTC $1.1B in cash as part of the transaction.
  • The transaction is expected to close by early 2018.
A Pursuit of Hardware
  • Long-Term Investment: With the hardware market becoming more profitable, Google has made clear its plans to invest heavily in manufacturing its own hardware; this deal represents the fourth major hardware-related transaction for Google. The agreement to acquire certain HTC employees means the company would gain talent, supply chain, and research and development without having to start from scratch in-house. With the acquisition of talent, rather than resources or facilities, Google is steering away from the strategy it employed six years ago with its costly $12.B purchase of Motorola (Google later sold Motorola to Lenovo for $2.9B). Taking cues from vertical integration pro Apple, which outsources work to companies like Foxconn, Google is trying to take a few steps forward with the hopes of competing with hardware kings. 
  • Increased Flexibility: The partnership between the two companies goes a long way back; both have been partners for ten years, with HTC being the major supplier for Google’s Pixel line that debuted about a year ago. After peaking in 2010, HTC’s sales have faced financial challenges. The boost in cash from Google would allow HTC to resolve its challenges while still being able to operate as an independent company. While Google will receive a non-exclusive license for HTC intellectual property, HTC will still continue to produce its own phones and will employ ~2,000 research and design staffers — down from ~4,000.
  • Dark Horse: With the deal, Google could gain a tighter hold on its Android operating system. While the company is not known for its hardware, if it can manage to produce top-tier hardware in-house, the premium smartphone market could look different down the line; competitors Samsung and Apple could find themselves a new rival to battle.
For more information about this development, click here to read the press release.
martinwolf was not the advisor in this transaction.
previous post Back to Articles next post

31 Jan 2023

Rising Interest Rates Chill Private Equity Pace

After a year of strength on the private equity front, 2022 is now in the rearview mirror and industry professionals anticipate a downgrade in performance for the coming year.   Despite the fluctuations of the past few years, private equity has withstood the challenges relatively well. However, in certain areas such as exit activity and...

18 Jan 2023

IT Industry Titan John McKenna Announces Retirement 

Congratulations to John McKenna, CEO of ConvergeOne, who announced his retirement today after 14 years at the helm. John has been an integral part of the IT industry for more than 30 years, and his leadership, dedication, and hard work have set the gold standard as a titan in our industry.   John’s tenure at...

21 Dec 2022

Happy Holidays – The 2022 martinwolf Annual Letter

View a pdf of this letter here.    Dear Clients, Partners, and Friends, It’s hard to believe we are closing the books on our 25th year in business. Looking back at our extraordinary colleagues past and present, hundreds of clients, and a global network of buyers and friends, I want to start this year’s letter...