Google in Talks to Acquire Boku for Mobile Payments?
Boku – one of many startups pushing for dominance in Android’s stagnant mobile payments space – is reportedly in talks with high-level executives at Google to be acquired (which – if successful – could ultimately lead to system-wide carrier billing no matter who you’re with, though Boku as we know it is geared toward developers who need an easy way to offer micro transactions in-app.) The problem is that Apple’s also pushing for Boku, apparently.
TechCrunch‘s source didn’t disclose what either of these companies would be doing with Boku should they decide to sell, and I can’t quite come up with a logical point to going through with what will supposedly be a nine figure purchase. While all of these startups offer great services and SDKs for developers, PayPal will soon be making their way to market and I can’t imagine developers choosing any of these startups over them.
Then again, I’m not a developer. Right now, I’ll just sit and watch as this bidding war unfolds.