Facebook Gets Its Whale (GOOG)

Techcrunch is reporting that Facebook has acquired group SMS service Beluga for an undisclosed sum. What is different about this particular acquisition is that Facebook intends to keep Beluga's service around for at least the time being. In the past, Facebook has acquired companies for their employees, then shut down the service. This time, Facebook wants both. The three employees of Beluga who will go to Facebook are ex Google GOOG employees. The three employees will be working with the groups and messaging divisions at Facebook. Facebook released a statement on the deal. "We're psyched to confirm that we've just acquired the talent and assets of Beluga, whose simple and elegant mobile apps blew us away as a solution to help groups of friends stay in touch on the move. We're looking forward to welcoming co-founders Ben Davenport, Lucy Zhang and Jonathan Perlow, and we're excited that the team will continue their vision for groups and mobile communication as part of Facebook." Here is Beluga's press release about the deal. We are happy to announce that Facebook has acquired Beluga! Since launching Beluga, we've appreciated all the enthusiasm and positive feedback from our users. We're excited to continue to build our vision for mobile group messaging as part of the Facebook team. Beluga and Facebook are committed to create new and better ways to communicate and share group experiences. For now, Beluga will continue to function as it does today. Your Beluga account and data will not be lost. We'll be providing more details on future plans for Beluga in the coming weeks. Stay tuned! Ben, Lucy and Jon Team Beluga