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.
We spoke with a farmer about how tariffs, trade policy, drought, and packer consolidation are reshaping the economics of American ranching and farming.
John Serafini, CEO of Hawkeye 360, breaks down the company’s 87% revenue growth, global demand for space-based intelligence and plans to scale its business.
Dan Niles, Founder and Portfolio Manager at Niles Investment Management, breaks down NVIDIA’s blowout earnings, 70% growth forecast and AI spending boom.
Edwin Cywinski, CEO of SunScout Holding Limited, explains how solar-powered robotic mowers are transforming lawn care and the company’s plans to scale.
Nathan Bomey, Business Reporter at Axios and author of The Axios Closer newsletter, explains why Wall Street is turning NVIDIA’s AI chips into financial assets.
Jamie Siminoff, Founder and Chief Inventor of Ring, explains the company’s new TAKE encryption standard and its push to put privacy and video data control first
Xavier Martinez, News Associate at The Wall Street Journal, breaks down Moderna’s mRNA ambitions, its pipeline beyond COVID-19 and the challenges ahead.