Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Google’s $3.2 Billion Nest Acquisition Is Now Final

The deal closed February 7.

Nest

Google said in a regulatory filing this morning that it closed its acquisition of Nest on February 7.

The $3.2 billion cash deal brings the smart thermostat and smoke-detecting hardware company and its team — led by Apple’s former iPod head, Tony Fadell — into the Google fold. At Google, Fadell is reporting directly to Larry Page.

A quick finalization was expected after the Federal Trade Commission fast-tracked its approval last week.

Google’s disclosure came in its annual 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Google’s acquisition of Nest was part of a multi-team trade of sorts. At about the same time, Google announced a deal to sell off its Motorola Mobility unit to Lenovo. Ownership had created friction with other Android device makers concerned about favoritism. In making the two deals, Google essentially traded today’s hardware — smartphones (how boring and pedestrian!) — for tomorrow’s big bets — the smart home and beyond.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

More in Technology

Technology
The case for AI realismThe case for AI realism
Technology

AI isn’t going to be the end of the world — no matter what this documentary sometimes argues.

By Shayna Korol
Politics
OpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agendaOpenAI’s oddly socialist, wildly hypocritical new economic agenda
Politics

The AI company released a set of highly progressive policy ideas. There’s just one small problem.

By Eric Levitz
Future Perfect
Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.Human bodies aren’t ready to travel to Mars. Space medicine can help.
Future Perfect

Protecting astronauts in space — and maybe even Mars — will help transform health on Earth.

By Shayna Korol
Podcasts
The importance of space toilets, explainedThe importance of space toilets, explained
Podcast
Podcasts

Houston, we have a plumbing problem.

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Sean Rameswaram
Technology
What happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputerWhat happened when they installed ChatGPT on a nuclear supercomputer
Technology

How they’re using AI at the lab that created the atom bomb.

By Joshua Keating
Future Perfect
Humanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious missionHumanity’s return to the moon is a deeply religious mission
Future Perfect

Space barons like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk don’t seem religious. But their quest to colonize outer space is.

By Sigal Samuel