Facebook Buys FriendFeed

Facebook on Monday said it has agreed to purchase FriendFeed, a social-networking site that lets people share information and media files on the Web in real time.

By Elizabeth Montalbano
Mon, August 10, 2009

IDG News Service — Facebook on Monday said it has agreed to purchase FriendFeed, a social-networking site that lets people share information and media files on the Web in real time.

The companies, both private, did not disclose the financial terms of the deal. FriendFeed and Facebook already had a relationship in which Facebook users could access the FriendFeed application from within their Facebook profiles.

FriendFeed was founded in 2007 by four former Google employees, including Paul Buchheit, the engineer behind Gmail and the originator of Google's now-infamous "Don't be evil" motto, and Bret Taylor, a former group product manager who launched Google Maps.

The two companies share a common mission in that they allow people to interact on the Web by sharing information -- including links, photos and videos -- for discussion among a group of online friends. Facebook has some of the capabilities of FriendFeed but is not limited to them, so it's unclear exactly how the two services will be integrated.

FriendFeed's 12 employees will continue to work in its headquarters in Mountain View, California, and the site will continue to operate as usual until the companies decide on a long-term integration plan, according to the companies. Facebook based in nearby Palo Alto.

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