Billion Dollar Buyout: The Biggest Tech Acquisitions of Recent Years
Verizon buys AOL for $4.4 billion.
1 / 10
Verizon Buys AOL - Verizon announced that it will buy AOL for $4.4 billion on Tuesday (May 12) morning. This acquisition sets up Verizon, which is the nation's largest wireless carrier, to enter the video and mobile arena. Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are also known for their billion-dollar buyouts. Keep reading to learn about the biggest acquisitions in tech history. -- Patrice Peck (Photos from left: AOL, Verizon)
2 / 10
Apple Acquires Beats Music & Electronics - Aiming to regain its once-titan grip on the music business, Apple recently announced the company’s purchase of Beats Music and Electronics for $3 billion. Co-founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine will work closely with Apple. (Photos from left: Andrew Burton/Getty Images, Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
3 / 10
Facebook Acquires Oculus - Facebook sparked yet another headline frenzy in March 2014 once the public learned of its $2 billion purchase of the virtual-reality technology Oculus VR.(Photo: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
4 / 10
Facebook Acquires WhatsApp - The Oculus acquisition is not the first nor largest acquisition that Facebook has made. In February 2014, the social network bought mobile messaging service WhatsApp for $19 billion — the second biggest tech acquisition ever. They also bought Instagram for $1.1 billion in 2012.(Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
5 / 10
Microsoft Acquires Nokia - In September 2013, Microsoft announced that it would buy Nokia's Device & Services business for over $7 billion. The deal was expected to close in the first quarter of this year, but Microsoft recently announced a delay until April.(Photos: Microsoft, Nokia)
ADVERTISEMENT