Is Google About to Buy Facebook?

While entirely speculative, word on the street is that Google is sizing up a bid to buy Facebook. The rumour comes courtesy of Fudzilla, which claims that Google’s negotiations to acquire Mark Zuckerberg’s social media empire are “well advanced.” However, other sources claim that Microsoft is also interested in Facebook, or even that Facebook is looking to buy Microsoft.

The site reports:

“Information leaked to Fudzilla suggests that talks are well advanced between the two companies.

Anecdotal evidence from many Facebook users [suggest] that talks are well advanced and the companies are already sharing experimental data, between themselves, of user data. Other sources suggest that Microsoft (Vole) is also interested in Facebook and, conversely, that Facebook is interested in buying Microsoft.

None of the companies cared enough to comment to Fudzilla at press time.”

Since Facebook’s market capital is around $323 billion, while Google’s parent company Alphabet boasts capital of around $513 billion, any acquisition would presumably be a leveraged buyout, since Alphabet is unlikely to spend two-thirds of its capital on one purchase. As such, if Google was to buy Facebook, it would lumber itself with a huge amount of debt. Seems unlikely, but Fudzilla describes the purchase rumour as being “entirely feasible.”

Ownership of Facebook would not only include the eponymous social networking site, but also the company’s biggest acquisitions over the last half-decade, including photo-sharing platform Instagram, smartphone instant messaging service WhatsApp, and virtual reality outfit Oculus.