Google might buy what it can’t build

With a history of shutting down failed projects, Google parent Alphabet is considering the M&A route instead.

4/4/24 12:01PM

Google parent Alphabet is considering a bid for $34 billion marketing software solutions platform, according to Reuters. Why would Alphabet want to acquire Hubspot? And, related, what actually is Hubspot?

Hubspot is one of several publicly traded multi-billion dollar software as a service (SaaS) companies that no one really knows what it does. Think: Atlassian, ServiceNow, or Workday. But its business is straightforward: Hubspot offers sales and marketing teams user-friendly dashboards for creating, tracking, and updating their leads. This data is compiled in a single central database, instead of being siloed in team-specific databases, improving transparency and information continuity across an enterprise, and their dashboards integrate with thousands of third-party apps. TL;DR: Hubspot is a solution for managing a company’s sales and marketing departments.

Why would Alphabet want to acquire Hubspot? Well, they’re infamous for launching, and then shutting down, various projects. A few examples: Google Domains, Google Currents (which was the rebranded version of Google+), Google Jamboard, Google Cloud IoT Core, Google Hangouts, Google Surveys, G Suite, and Google Go Links. For those curious, you can see the full list of Google’s graveyard at killedbygoogle.com.

What Alphabet does have, however, is near-infinite consumer data, a dominant portion of the search market, and a powerful advertising business. Combining Hubspot’s marketing and lead generation solutions with Google’s search and ad capabilities could be valuable for sales and marketing teams, depending on how they are integrated.

If Alphabet makes a formal offer, however, it will almost certainly be flagged by regulators. FTC Chair Lina Khan has been cracking down on big tech M&A since taking over, and the world’s biggest search provider acquiring a $34 billion B2B marketing solution fits the template for deals she would sue to block.

Strive Pharmacy recently broke ground on a new facility in Mesa, Arizona. (Strive Pharmacy)

Before Hims’ GLP-1 pill fallout, its pharmacy partner was already drawing scrutiny from state regulators

Strive has already been probed over the timing of its GLP-1 compounding. Now, Arizona regulators are looking into complaints about ketamine misuse and improper distribution of prescription drugs.

J. Edward Moreno1h

Claire Yubin Oh

The apex operator

SharkNinja hit an all-time high this week, as its killer growth streak continues

The viral appliance maker’s sales have more than quadrupled since 2018.

Surreal image of great white shark swimming in bedroom

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in this econemy?

2/12/26

Van Leeuwen, America’s fastest-growing dessert chain, is looking to expand abroad

The boutique ice cream chain is looking to open at least 300 new shops in South Korea over the next decade.

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2/10/26

Hims built a boundary-pushing health business. Now the legal risks are catching up.

Hims is close to trading as if it never began selling GLP-1s.

Nate Becker2/7/26

Hims to stop offering copy of Wegovy pill following FDA scrutiny

Hims & Hers said it has decided to stop offering its newly launched copycat version of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill, after the telehealth company drew criticism from the Food and Drug Administration.

“Since launching the compounded semaglutide pill on our platform, we’ve had constructive conversations with stakeholders across the industry. As a result, we have decided to stop offering access to this treatment,” Hims wrote on X.

Shares of Hims are down double digits in premarket trading on Monday, while Novo Nordisk ADRs are up more than 6% as of 5:20 a.m. ET.

On Friday afternoon, the FDA said it would take “decisive steps” to restrict GLP-1 compounding. Department of Health and Human Services General Counsel Mike Stuart said on social media Friday he had referred Hims to the Department of Justice “for investigation for potential violations by Hims of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and applicable Title 18 provisions.”

Hims launched the product last week, a seeming copy of a recently released and patented drug, which immediately drew fire from Novo Nordisk and regulators.

Hims & Hers Comms on X