With Minecraft, Microsoft Bets Again on Blockbuster Game Franchises Over Talent
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The conventional wisdom in Silicon Valley is that acquisitions are about gaining great talent. Just last week, Tim Cook told Charlie Rose that one of the main reasons Apple bought Beats was for "incredible talent." The Valley even has its own term for an acquisition based solely on hiring: "acquihire."
But that's not why Microsoft is spending $2.5 billion for Mojang. The purveyor of all things Xbox is buying the Swedish developer for the mega-hit video game Minecraft. That's it. While Mojang says the "vast majority" of employees are expected to stick around until after the deal closes, the three founders are leaving right away. That includes Markus "Notch" Persson, the face of the company.