Companies You Might Not Have Known Were Owned By Other Companies

We all know big brands like Google, Facebook and Apple, but you might not know the companies that they own. You might think that they're wealthy companies, but you might not realise to what extent, until you see how much they bought these other companies for. You might think that big corporations like these did it all on their own, but you would be surprised at the amount of companies they bought on their way to the top.

Google (You Tube): October 9, 2006 : $ 1,650, 000,000

This much publicized take over actually took place back in 2006, and when you think about it, just over 1.5 billion, is a steal for a site that has grown immensely since 2006. While the transition from integrating Google into You Tube's framework was far from smooth, it looks like things have settled down. So if you were wondering why there have been a few changes on YouTube in the last few years, that's the reason why.

Google ( Android): August 17, 2005, $50,000,000

One of the main competitor's to the iPhone from Apple is the Android phone. Google bought the operating system back in 2005 for 50 million, which when you look back on it is a very good deal for Google. The software spawned numerous phones and tablets which Google produce today, such as the Nexus range.

Apple (Beats Electronics): August 1, 2014, $3,000,000,000

Relatively speaking Apple hasn't indulged in many acquisitions and usually buy smaller software applications for their products, like Siri. Their biggest splurge was only last month where they both Beats Electronics for 3 billion. What they will do with the technology is another question, but they will probably look to incorporate it into their products.

Facebook (Instagram): April 9, 2012: $1,000,000,000

This was a wise move by Facebook and now that Instagram has been linked up with Facebook it's even easier to use . They bought it at the right time just when it was getting big. With over 200,000,000 users on Instagram, it's now wonder that Facebook decided pull the trigger.

Facebook (Occulus VR): March 25, 2014: $2,000,000,000

For all those gamers out there, you will know what the Occulus Rift is, for those of you who aren't gamers , it's basically a virtual reality headset. It simulates a a 360º virtual world which is used for video games and making them more immersive. Facebook has stated they won't impinge on the production process of The Occulus Rift, even though we're still unsure what Facebook bought it specifically for.

Facebook (WhatsApp): Feburary 19, 2014: $19,000,000,000

With over 600 million users on Whats App it's no surprise that Facebook flashed the cash on this one. Whats App handles 10 billion messages on a daily basis and has taken over Facebook as the primary means of communication between friends. This is a smart move by Facebook , having such a vital communication application under their watch.

Twitter (Vine): Ocotber 9, 2012: $1,000,000

Although the popularity of Vine videos has waned recently, there are still over 40 million users on Vine. Some people have even gained popularity making Vines . So Twitter must have been happy with 1 million for a video sharing service that is now integrated with Twitter.

Microsoft (Hotmail): December 31, 1997: $500,000,000

One of the very first emailing services Hotmail (stylized originally as HoTMaiL) which stands for html, was bought by Microsoft in 1997. Although, Gmail has surpassed it and has become the world's largest email service, during its initial success there was no real competitor . 500 million for what went onto to be the world's largest email service is pretty good.

Microsoft (Skype Technologies): May 10, 2011: $8,500,000,000

Skype was created by Janus Friis from Denmark and Niklas Zennström from Sweden in 2003. The main headquarters is based in Luxembourg and in 2011 it was bought my Microsoft. It is now part of Microsofts Applications and service team and all of Skypes operations are run through Microsoft.

Ebay (Stumble Upon): May 30, 2007- April 31, 2009: $75,000,000

Stumble Upon is a discovery engine which was created by 4 Canadian entrepreneurs in 2002. In 2007 it was bought by none other than Ebay. It was then resold and bought back by Garett Camp and Geoff Smith two of the original creators of Stumble Upon.

Yahoo (Tumblr): May 17, 2013: $1, 100,000,000

The blogging and social networking platform was founded in 2007 by David Karp, who was interested in short form blogs called tumblelogs. The idea sprung out of that and so he made his own, it was bought by Yahoo in 2013 for just over 1 billion. The deal was expected to increase Yahoo's audience by 50%.

Vodafone (Mannesman): November 11, 1999: $ 185,000,000,000

Vodafone had been pursuing the German company for years, even though they make steel pipes. The reason Vodafone bought them was for their subdivision Mannesman Acror. It was Germnay's second largest fixed line telephony and internet company. Vodafone saw it as a way to get their network into mainland Europe. At just over 185 billion, it is the second largest acquisition by a company ever made.