11 Worst Tech Mergers and Acquisitions Ever

Page 7 of 12

6. Microsoft and aQuantive

Value: $6 billion

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has doing pretty well lately under the leadership of Satya Nadella, focusing on software and cloud computing. However, in the 2000s Microsoft tried competing against Google in the online ad space, having acquired aQuantive for $6.0 billion in 2007. aQuantive was not providing a standalone service, but was instead a combination of a number of ad companies like Atlas, Drive, Avenue A, and Razorfish. However, the integration of both companies failed to take off. aQuantive was a leader in display advertising, while Microsoft wanted to focus more on search advertising. It’s not entirely clear what went wrong. It’s possible that Microsoft’s management didn’t really understand the industry, or that both companies simply had vastly different cultures. In any case, in 2012 Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) took a $6.2 billion writedown mainly related to aQuantive, making it one of the worst tech mergers and acquisitions ever.

11 Worst Tech Mergers and Acquisitions Ever

Taina Sohlman / Shutterstock.com

Page 7 of 12