Verizon to sell Tumblr to WordPress parent firm

Verizon has agreed to sell its blogging platform Tumblr to the parent company of online publishing tool WordPress. Tumblr will act as a complementary site to WordPress after the acquisition.

Automattic Inc, the parent company of WordPress, will buy Tumblr and take on its 200 staff members for an undisclosed amount. Verizon, the current owner of Tumblr, had been searching a buyer for the social media platform since earlier this year.

Tumblr was once a hugely influential force in the blogging and social media sphere, but it becomes less so under Yahoo and then Verizon’s ownership. Meanwhile, platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube moved to fill the void and become much larger cultural forces as a result. Still, Tumblr does have a very active and dedicated community.

Verizon is in the process of revamping its media group, which struggled to meet revenue targets in recent years. The business, home to legacy Yahoo and AOL web properties such as HuffPost, TechCrunch, feminist media brand Makers and celebrity-interview site Build, is increasingly focused on subscription and original content.

Ola acqui-hires Pickup.ai

Ride-hailing company Ola acqui-hired Pickup.ai, an artificial intelligence (AI) startup based out of Bangalore. Pickup.ai uses autonomous technologies like AI, computer vision and sensor fusion to provide seamless AI-powered solutions for businesses. As part of the deal, the team at Pickup.ai will join Ola.

Ola is increasing its focus on using advanced analytics and deep technology to build futuristic mobility solutions for India and the world. The application of machine learning and AI will enable the company to identify deep insights that can lead to improved mobility outcomes. This will include investments in early-stage businesses, acquisitions as well as acquihires across AI, Machine Learning, Computer Vision and other emerging areas of deep technology.

Earlier this year, Ola announced its intent to set up an Advanced Technology Centre in the San Francisco Bay area, to focus on developing next-generation technologies in mobility like Electric, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles. By bringing deep domain expertise to Ola, this acquihire will also deliver innovations that continue to improve safety and transform the customer experience.

Ola was founded in 2011 by Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati with a mission to build mobility for a billion people.

Groupon acquires Presence AI

Groupon today announced it has acquired Presence AI – an AI-powered text and voice communications tool that enables and facilitates messaging between customers and merchants.

Consumers––especially millennials––vastly prefer messaging and chat-based communications over phone calls. Presence AI enables merchants to answer to that trend by offering a 24/7 business assistant that integrates with a merchant’s existing scheduling software––or replace pen and paper––to accept and manage bookings, provide instant answers to customer questions, remind people when it’s time to re-book and much more.

Groupon increased bookable inventory 12 percent year over year and booked tens of millions of diners, concert-goers, spa visitors and more in 2018. As the company transitions towards the universal book ability for certain services, Presence AI’s technology will provide merchants with the capabilities to support this booking vision.

Presence AI was founded in 2015 in San Francisco and operates in the health, beauty and wellness space, which is one of Groupon’s largest categories. The company already has a number of key integrations with popular booking software providers. Presence AI was backed by the Amazon Alexa Fund and participated in the 2018 Alexa Accelerator, powered by TechStars, which supports early-stage start-ups using voice to deliver transformative customer and business experiences.