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The actual story of how Fb virtually acquired Waze, however we ended up with Google

The actual story of how Fb virtually acquired Waze, however we ended up with Google

2023-06-21 07:43:53

It has been 10 years since Google acquired Waze, and I believed it might be the best time to inform the story and a few of what I realized. In June 2013, Waze was acquired by Google for $1.15B. In these days, billions had been massive numbers; Aileen Lee would coin the time period “unicorn” a number of months later. It is essential to emphasize {that a} unicorn was initially outlined as an organization with an exit worth of over a billion {dollars} — elevating cash at a $1B valuation does probably not make an organization a unicorn, as most SPAC’ed firms have realized…

However the story begins sooner than that. In late 2012, after Apple Maps launched, Tim Cook dinner apologized and talked about Waze. We turned a mainstream app with 10M MAUs and we needed to resolve on our subsequent steps. We needed to increase one other spherical and had been getting hints of acquisition curiosity. We sat down collectively–Ehud, Amir, and I–and mapped out our valuation framework, since not all of us wished to promote. We agreed that if we waited one other 18 months, we may in all probability double no matter acquisition supply got here in, however a few of us had been drained, harassed, and able to promote.

We agreed that if we obtained a proposal of lower than $750M, we might proceed on the route of elevating one other spherical. If we obtained a proposal above $1B, we might promote (it is a spherical quantity, and “a billion-dollar firm” was then the legendary exit). If the supply got here in between $750M and $1B, it might rely upon who the acquirer was, since we might probably must go work there for not less than 4 years. On the time, we stated that Microsoft (beneath Ballmer) would want to supply $1B+, whereas Fb may are available in at $750M. How the world has modified — this was earlier than we understood how evil Meta is for society, democracies, and people or the outstanding turnaround of Microsoft beneath Satya Nadella.

Set up a valuation framework. Having a frank dialogue among the many founders and constructing an precise valuation framework was essential – it allowed us to stroll away from a $450M supply with out negotiating, or settle for a $1B supply with out dialogue. The acquisition course of is tense, quick and is the primary time a startup’s buyers and the founders have completely different incentives – buyers need most payout and do not care from whom; founders must proceed to work on the buying firm, so the “who” is vital. The extra readability you may have in your objectives, the higher the chances are of attaining them.

Earlier than any dialogue of acquisition, we believed Waze wanted a strategic accomplice to assist speed up person acquisition — we felt we had maxed out our natural skill to develop. We entered strategic partnership discussions with Microsoft (who was an investor within the firm), Amazon and Fb (who had been constructing telephones), and others.

Fb was the pure match from the product perspective — they feared dependency on the cellular platforms and wished to personal their location stack, each for his or her upcoming telephone and their apps. We spent lots of time collectively mapping out potential integration, however Fb saved operating up in opposition to the issue of “What if we make it easier to, you turn out to be an enormous platform, after which Google comes alongside and acquires you? We’d not be capable of compete with them financially.” This was on the heels of the Spotify US launch the place Fb believed they’d “constructed Spotify’s enterprise” however didn’t extract any worth from it.

Meet the Product workforce nicely upfront: Assembly and exploring potential enterprise with the potential acquirer’s product groups is a vital prerequisite for a profitable acquisition. When you get a time period sheet for acquisition, you may have little or no time to contact different gamers, and for potential acquirers to have the ability to transfer shortly, they should know you – not on the corp dev degree, however on the product degree. By the point we started the acquisition course of, we had already met the CEOs of Google, Fb, and Microsoft, and members of the senior groups at Amazon, Apple, and others. This allowed us to get suggestions shortly once we wanted it.

Our strategic partnership negotiations with Fb had been at an deadlock — they wished a Proper Of First Refusal (ROFR) permitting them to match any supply another person made, which we couldn’t give. A ROFR would harm our skill to barter a future transaction since any potential patrons would know their competitor had the best to take the deal from beneath their ft. We lastly agreed to a compromise through which Fb would get a ROFR solely for Google. That smoothed the way in which ahead.

Earlier than shifting too far down this path, I reached out to Google and advised them, “We’re about to signal an settlement with a competitor of yours that will preclude us from doing something strategic with you. Earlier than we signal it, I need to be sure that we do not miss one another within the evening. If you’re , we should always discuss now.” I did this out of my fiduciary responsibility — by no means in my wildest goals did I suppose that Google would have an interest. To my shock, they wished to satisfy.

So we did meet with the Google Maps workforce and had an enchanting discuss. Since all of us had been consultants within the maps area, we may each recognize what the opposite had carried out and the way they did it. After the assembly, to my shock, the Corp Dev lead referred to as me up and stated they might be concerned about exploring an acquisition. We mentioned value, and I made it clear that we’re searching for $1B (after Instagram had just lately been acquired for $1B, it appeared acceptable). I obtained the improper impression that it was doable.

We went by way of a fast spherical of primary due diligence, together with flying the management workforce to Mountain View and assembly Larry and Sergei. Lastly, I obtained the decision and my Corp Dev contact began by saying, “Earlier than I ship you the supply, I need to clarify it, because you’ll simply have a look at the worth.” He then defined the phrases and despatched the supply: $450M. I used to be shocked — I used to be 100% positive we had been on the $1B mark. I instantly stated “No” — our valuation framework had anchored our expectations a lot larger. $450M would have been a fantastic exit, and with no predetermined framework, I may have negotiated a bit and settled someplace, however the framework gave me the boldness to simply say ‘no.’ The shocked counterpart requested, “Is there no quantity between $450M and $1B that we may agree on?”

That query took me again to a negotiation course I took at Harvard Regulation College. After 5 days of principle, lectures, and simulating negotiations, what obtained burned in my reminiscence was when, in our final hour of the course, the professor stated, “However do not forget that regardless of all the pieces we taught you, negotiations often finish by splitting the distinction within the center…” I knew we had been price $1B–it was not a negotiation tactic, and I had defined that. If I’d have began negotiating at $450M, there was no manner we might get close to $1B, so I walked away.

As you possibly can think about, my board was livid that we didn’t pursue the negotiation. However as that is our future and never our board members, we held agency and didn’t contact Google once more.

I did return to Fb and advised them that we obtained an acquisition supply from “a significant tech firm you’ll take into account a significant competitor.” Fb already knew us intimately from the enterprise negotiations, and their head of Corp Dev referred to as me up and plainly stated, “What’s a quantity you wouldn’t store round?” I stated “$1B” and an hour later I had a time period sheet for $1B in my inbox, legitimate for a number of hours. I didn’t want these hours and instantly signed the time period sheet and despatched it again, didn’t store it round. With two emails and a telephone name, Fb had principally acquired us. To this present day I’ve respect for the velocity and directness of their supply. Having our framework allowed me to signal the supply with out consulting anybody, as I knew the founders had been on board and, after all, the board can be ecstatic, so I moved from villain to hero (a route I appear to take backwards and forwards usually).

We started due diligence and it shortly turned clear that we had some gaps. We assumed the deal was carried out and the due diligence was to validate all the pieces we had mentioned. Fb, however, checked out it as the start of a course of to find out what they need to do with Waze. This hole created increasingly more stress between the groups –- it was not clear which workforce was buying us or who was calling the photographs, and time saved slipping by. We had days the place we didn’t know what the subsequent step was and sat round ready…

On prime of that, we didn’t have good chemistry with the folks we interacted with. Mark and I didn’t hit it off nicely, and the engineers doing the due diligence had been very younger and had been confidently belittling what we had constructed. Our common engineer was 40 years previous, prime of the Israeli 8200 unit, and really skilled. They didn’t suppose what we had constructed was straightforward in any respect (nor had the Google engineers who had been our age and expertise); neither had been they impressed with these younger engineers despatched to guage our system, utilizing a number of buzzwords to say little. This age and mentality hole seeped in, and since there was no clear proprietor to the method, issues started grinding down. We started feeling we had made a mistake and that Fb was not going to undergo with the acquisition.

Acquisitions are private. That is one thing I by no means realized strongly sufficient. Acquisitions are usually not about technique or enterprise — they’re about folks. The human dynamic is extra essential than any KPI or characteristic. Not having a transparent proprietor on the Fb aspect, not inside the Corp Dev workforce, nor inside a enterprise unit or on the govt degree, created increasingly more stress and misunderstandings.

Fb had demanded 28 days for closing, a very long time that they felt they wanted to determine what to do with us. I made a mistake by agreeing to it. This was (and nonetheless is) one of many largest acquisition offers in Israel, particularly for a client model. With accountants, legal professionals, board members, and buyers concerned, the information was sure to leak, and it did. Although I didn’t leak the data, and to this present day I nonetheless have no idea who did, I feel Fb and Google nonetheless consider I leaked the information. As extra data saved leaking, we diminished the variety of folks within the know and stopped updating our board with the small print.

As soon as information of the deal leaked, I obtained a name from the CorpDev individual at Google, and he requested me if the information articles had been right. I replied that I couldn’t focus on the articles or something with him (as I used to be beneath the standstill limitation of the time period sheet I signed), and he stated he understood and hung up. An hour later I obtained an unsolicited time period sheet in my inbox, from Google, for $1.15B. This put me in a bind –- I had signed a time period sheet with Fb, BUT I had a fiduciary responsibility to my buyers to maximise the sale worth: I couldn’t ignore this supply. I disclosed it to Fb, who blew up and accused me of leaking the information. The poor private dynamics induced them to disengage, operating down the clock on the time period sheet. If we had a transparent proprietor on the Fb aspect and had developed an excellent rapport, we may have, collectively, overcome this however the lack of belief between the groups made it unattainable.

Because the clock ran out, Fb didn’t make a counteroffer. I shortly pinged Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple, however nobody may transfer quick sufficient. We signed a time period sheet with Google as quickly because the Fb time period expired and closed the transaction in eight intensive days.

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Do I feel going to Google was the best factor for Waze? On the time, the Fb deal was a inventory deal and their share value was ~$25/share. Had we closed with them, the deal may have had a 10X multiplier. Regardless of that, I really feel that Google was the best place for us. We clicked with the engineering workforce, they allow us to keep unbiased and develop (from 10M MAU to 150M MAU), and figuring out the injury that Fb has carried out to democracies globally, I’d by no means have lasted my 4 years there.

So what are the teachings I realized?

  1. Acquisitions begin years earlier than the precise sale. Get to know your potential acquirers and spend time with their product groups in order that if it is advisable contact them, you understand who to name they usually know who you might be.

  2. Have a transparent framework amongst your decision-makers for what you need with actual numbers –- this can be a superpower for quick decision-making.

  3. Partnership discussions are the perfect catalyst for an acquisition. They permit the groups to spend time collectively, get to know one another, and picture what a joint product may appear to be. Particularly if the conclusion is, “However we would want to personal you to do that.”

  4. All the things round acquisitions is private –- from the explanation why firms purchase, to the worth and the method. Be sure to make clear who the decision-makers are and spend the time constructing private relationships.

  5. Acquisitions are the primary second when founders and buyers have diverging pursuits. That is the one time when you need to be cautious of suggestions out of your buyers. 

  6. And, after all, like every negotiation, whoever is prepared to stroll away will get the higher deal — at all times have a pink line and maintain agency to it.

I hope this helps different founders when they’re interested by an acquisition. 

Noam

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