Google Lands Looker for $2.6 Billion to Boost Cloud Analytics
Google acquires hot analytics startup Looker for $2.6 billion to strengthen its third-place Google Cloud platform. The deal combines Looker's robust data visualization tools with Google's massive cloud infrastructure.
Google announces a massive $2.6 billion acquisition of Looker, a fast-growing analytics startup, to bolster its Google Cloud division. Under the leadership of Thomas Kurian, Google aims to combine Looker's software with its own infrastructure to provide a complete data analytics solution. This strategic move gives Google a proven analytics platform as it competes against larger rivals in the cloud infrastructure market.
Looker brings impressive financial metrics to the deal, boasting over 1,600 customers and a $100 million revenue run rate that grows 70 percent year over year. CEO Frank Bien emphasizes that the company's primary goal is to disrupt the traditional business intelligence market by offering a single, rationalized platform for data visualization and preparation.
The partnership leverages Google's massive cloud scale to accelerate Looker's market reach while promising to support multiple databases and deployment environments. By integrating Looker's tools, Google Cloud offers businesses a seamless way to connect, analyze, and visualize data across various cloud providers and on-premises systems.