Google Steps Up Acquisitions as Some Projects Falter - BusinessWeek

More learning experiences for Google ahead

The purchase of Slide will boost the company’s social- networking technical knowledge, Schmidt said. The deal follows the acquisition of Aardvark early this year, a search company that includes social features. Even so, Google isn’t trying to create “another Facebook,” he said.

Schmidt declined to give specifics on what Slide will do for Google. The company already includes social elements in many services, such as Gmail, Google Docs and its photo site Picasa. Google paid about $200 million for Slide, according to people familiar with the matter.

“The answer is not knowable by me today -- that’s why we bought them,” Schmidt said. “We will discover it together.”

Google Steps Up Acquisitions as Some Projects Falter - BusinessWeek