Google has made an offer to acquire Fitbit, Reuters reported late Monday morning. Shares of the fitness-tracking device maker surged 19 percent on the report, leading the Nasdaq to briefly halt trading in the stock. Shares resumed trading just after midday, climbing more than 35 percent.
The offer price is not clear, according to Reuters, and it is unknown whether or not Fitbit is considering the offer.
Reuters reported last month that the wearable company, a darling of the consumer tech industry when it went public in 2015, was now looking to either get acquired or take itself private as it faces increased competition. Modern smartphones now come with much of the technology that Fitbit pioneered in its sleek, connected watches, not to mention the Apple Watch, which now owns about half of the global smartwatch market.
For Google parent Alphabet ($GOOGL), Fitbit would represent the company's first foray into wearables, where its main hardware competitors, Apple and Samsung, are duking it out for supremacy. Google has made its healthcare ambitions clear, last year poaching the CEO of the regional healthcare provider Geisinger.
Dilip Rao, CEO of Sharebite, explains how his startup wants to normalize companies feeding their workers, the role of the private sector in public concerns, and more.
Athlete compensation, player unions and realignment dominate discussions — everything in college sports is open for discussion, interpretation and adjustment.
Sola Mahfouz and Malaina Kapoor, authors of 'Defiant Dreams: The Journey of an Afghan Girl Who Risked Everything for Education' discuss how Sola overcame the Taliban to get an education.
Pittsburgh International Airport CEO, Christina Cassotis talks the airport’s upcoming upgrades and why you can’t count out business travel, even in a post-pandemic world.
Fresh off of speaking at the UN, Amalya Yeghoyan, Executive Director of FAR’s Gyumri Information Technology Center, discusses her work to empower women through tech.
