Facebook acquires Giphy, reportedly for US$400 million

Facebook has acquired GIF-sharing service Giphy and plans to make it part of the Instagram team. Facebook didn't reveal how much it paid for to buy Giphy, but Axios reports that it's priced at around US$400 million. Giphy is expected to keep its branding, but it'll be primarily integrated into Instagram. GIFs are prevalent and used heavily in Instagram Stories, so having more access to a GIF-sharing service could work in Facebook's favour. We might expect to see it more integrated into other Facebook services as well.

Source: Engadget

Apple acquires musician development platform Platoon

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Apple continues to expand its media-related services and its latest acquisition hopes to grow its business in the music realm. Apple reportedly just bought Platoon, a London-based startup that works primarily with musicians (but also other creators like writers) to produce, distribute, and sell their work. The company makes use of analytics to source talent and figure out what’s the best way to market their talents, which TechCrunch likens to being a “modern-day tech equivalent of A&R services.”

Apple hasn’t officially confirmed the news nor what it plans to do with the company. But it can boost its Up Next platform, which focuses on working with up-and-coming artists. It’ll also help with music discovery for its users, perhaps even offer exclusives to its subscribers. From a creator’s perspective though, it could help Apple draw in lesser-known, unsigned artists and establish a long-term relationship with them. Platoon has worked with the likes of Billie Eilish and Jorja Smith before they got signed to big labels.

Source: The Verge

Report claims Logitech wants to purchase Plantronics for over US $2 billion

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Logitech still seems to be keen on purchasing other accessories makers. This time around, the company has reportedly set its sights on Plantronics. Logitech has reportedly offered as much as US $2.2 billion to purchase the headset maker. And if the deal pushes through, we should hear about it in the coming week. This acquisition will be Logitech’s most expensive purchase to date. But it would also boost the company’s lineup of PC and mobile accessories. According to Reuters, both companies are trying to reduce manufacturing costs and hope to lessen the impact of the Trump administration’s tariffs on Chinese imports into the US. Working together is one way to do just that.

Plantronics main business focuses on Bluetooth headphones and earbuds, unified communications systems, wireless headsets, conferencing systems, and some software, which it sells to businesses and consumers. It also has fitness-focused accessories. The company claims the headphones worn by Neil Armstrong during his first moonwalk was made by Plantronics.

Report claims Xiaomi is in interested in buying GoPro

GoPro has been scaling down its business due to financial issues. The company announced back in January that it was leaving the drone business because of this. GoPro’s CEO Nick Woodman has said in an interview with CNN before that he was open to selling the company. He said, “If there was an opportunity to merge GoPro with a larger parent company that could help us scale our business and provide a better return on investment… we would welcome the opportunity…”

Now there seems to be someone interested in buying GoPro. Bloomberg reports Chinese tech company Xiaomi is looking to purchase the action sports camera company. Xiaomi is known in Asia for its affordable, feature-packed phones but it has also delved into everything from robot vacuums, laptops, electric scooters, power banks, routers, and many more. Perhaps, it wants to boost its action camera segment or possibly get into drones. Not much is known about this potential deal at the moment but GoPro is being valued at around a billion dollars, according to the report from The Information.