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Google Buys Motorola Mobility in $12.5-Billion Deal

Deal closes after Google obtains approval from Chinese government to acquire wireless manufacturer. There’s no rest for the weary, particularly for Google employees. While many Canadians enjoyed a long, leisurely weekend, Google execs were hard at work nailing down the company’s largest acquisition to date.  

By Lindsey Peacock /

Google buys Motorola Mobility | BCBusiness
Internet search giant Google closed its deal to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion.

Deal closes after Google obtains approval from Chinese government to acquire wireless manufacturer.

There’s no rest for the weary, particularly for Google employees. While many Canadians enjoyed a long, leisurely weekend, Google execs were hard at work nailing down the company’s largest acquisition to date.
 
The Internet search giant closed a deal to acquire U.S. cellphone maker Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. The acquisition was finalized shortly after Google received conditional approval from the Chinese government, which stipulated the company must keep its Android mobile software free for other wireless devices for another five years.
 
U.S. and European authorities gave the deal the greenlight back in February.
 
The move is extremely strategic for Google as it looks to grow its Android software platform for mobile devices. The acquisition could ensure all future Motorola phones are pre-loaded with the latest Android software and customers have easy access to updates, providing a boost for the already-popular platform.
 
Google also announced a new management team for Motorola, including a new chief executive, all from within the Google family.