Disclosure certainty 4/5 debate potential 2/5

Mason: Groupon found Google's 2010 acquisition interest far more exciting than Yahoo's

Andrew Mason · Groupon and Descript: Andrew Mason · Sep 9, 2024 · at 34:30

Andrew Mason recounts how Groupon explored an acquisition counteroffer from Google after being approached by Yahoo in 2010.

0:00 / 0:09exact quote · 9.8s
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“Google got wind and came along, and that was more exciting. There, like, Google was the... The cool company.”

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