Google Acquisition Spree Misses Boston Area

It’s hard to overlook the Google acquisition machine. Just last month, the search giant gobbled up its latest company, Fremont, CA-based Grand Central Communications. By one count, anyway, it was Google’s 23rd California purchase, vesus a nearly identical number outside the company’s home state.

Where does Boston figure in all this? Just about nowhere, it seems. We spotted an interesting item in the GetQuik Blog yesterday. GetQuik is a California startup that wants to be “the eBay for take-out and delivery orders to restaurants.” One of its founders has listed Google acquisitions by location. According to his tally, the 2003 purchase of Boston-based Genius Labs is the only Google acquisition in the area—ever. That seems outrageous, or demoralizing. Maybe with Google’s recent expansion of its operations in Kendall Square that will change.

Author: Robert Buderi

Bob is Xconomy's founder and chairman. He is one of the country's foremost journalists covering business and technology. As a noted author and magazine editor, he is a sought-after commentator on innovation and global competitiveness. Before taking his most recent position as a research fellow in MIT's Center for International Studies, Bob served as Editor in Chief of MIT's Technology Review, then a 10-times-a-year publication with a circulation of 315,000. Bob led the magazine to numerous editorial and design awards and oversaw its expansion into three foreign editions, electronic newsletters, and highly successful conferences. As BusinessWeek's technology editor, he shared in the 1992 National Magazine Award for The Quality Imperative. Bob is the author of four books about technology and innovation. Naval Innovation for the 21st Century (2013) is a post-Cold War account of the Office of Naval Research. Guanxi (2006) focuses on Microsoft's Beijing research lab as a metaphor for global competitiveness. Engines of Tomorrow (2000) describes the evolution of corporate research. The Invention That Changed the World (1996) covered a secret lab at MIT during WWII. Bob served on the Council on Competitiveness-sponsored National Innovation Initiative and is an advisor to the Draper Prize Nominating Committee. He has been a regular guest of CNBC's Strategy Session and has spoken about innovation at many venues, including the Business Council, Amazon, eBay, Google, IBM, and Microsoft.