We’re hearing whispers that Google is in the process of acquiring AppJet, the small startup that builds the popular collaboration tool EtherPad. A number of ex-Googlers are AppJet executives, including CEO Aaron Iba, CTO J.D. Zamfirescu, and COO Daniel Clemens. The acquisition price is apparently in the low eight figures. We’re probing for more details. Update: EtherPad has just confirmed the deal.
EtherPad is a powerful real-time collaboration tool that’s similar (but superior) to the Google Docs text editor. Users can collaborate in true real-time, with virtually no delay. AppJet actually launched as a tool for building simple web apps. The team built EtherPad for internal use, but then decided to release it to the public. Since then, the product focus has shifted to EtherPad, which has started to take off.
EtherPad may have been a threat to Google Docs, but it’s also quite likely to Google’s interest in the company is tied to Google Wave. The two products share some overlapping features, but AppJet has built technology that can be deployed behind company firewalls. If Google ever decides to roll out Wave as an enterprise product, which seems logical, this technology and the team’s experience could prove valuable.
AppJet, which was part of the Y Combinator program, has raised around $700,000 in seed funding.
Congrats to my fellow Dogpatch Labs residents! They’ve been sporadically absent from the office for weeks, and I assumed this was the reason.
These guys are extremely talented
I have insider information from the tubes: http://etherpad...acquires-appjet
its acquired already
http://etherpad...acquires-appjet
Viva la killing competition !!
They must have just posted that, wasn’t up there when I published this (I checked)
What a nice Microsoftarian move. Google has tried to make Docs better for a long time but ultimately others engineered better solutions. Hence they’re being bought.
Congrats to Etherpad!
http://etherpad...acquires-appjet
From the EtherPad website:
“We are happy to announce that AppJet Inc. has been acquired by Google. The EtherPad team will continue its work on realtime collaboration by joining the Google Wave team.”
Kincaid: CB lists total funding of $265K vs. this post lists $700K of angel funding. Which is correct?
700K, we’re updating CB.
Amazingly simple application to get your arms around in understanding.
“Eye of the beholder”…Google must see bigger purpose with this w/ Wave. Agree w/you Jason on that because use-cases as a stand-alone app…I don’t see it.
How many users or enterprises were even using this before being acquired?
I agree, I’ve used etherpad and it is great as a simple collaborative tool. I think this shows the need to ge tmore engineering talent on wave — and shows the true wave market is enterprise collaboration!
Hope they buy my Google Wave App site when it’s ready.
In all honesty, this is a perfect move for Google, due to the bad press Google Wave has received.
Look for this to make Google Wave 10x stronger in the next year.
Jason, EtherPad has confirmed the acquisition on their website.
I hope this replaces Docs because I’ve been getting ‘Unable To Save Due To Network Error’ messages in Google Apps which is downright frightening. Even better, the dialog box offers a URL for more information but if you click on it you get a warning that you are leaving an unsaved document!
I cannot recommend any use of these Apps until Google publicly addresses this problem.
Congrats go out to Appjet.
Why google is not paying attention on New social media called Google wave.
All I have to say is MAKE SURE you guys keep a copy of Fusion Garage’s Blog that was CACHED on google ASAP before some magic spell makes it disappear. You’ll need all the ammo you can get.
Given the info I’ve read, plus the cached Fusion Garage blog I read, I would side with TechCrunch on this one. There will be blood!
This is huge alright…
Thats amazing, google is always working on delivering better experience to its users, and google will surely innovate and combine the usage of google docs and google wave which will be awesome. I am blogging about it on : http://www.techupdater.net/