AfterDawn: News

As expected, Facebook shuts down Gowalla

Three months after being acquired, the location-sharing app company Gowalla has shut down, as expected.

Says the statement: "Thank you for going out with Gowalla. It was a pleasure to journey with you around the world. Download your check-ins, photos and lists here soon."



The company launched in 2009, and had over 600,000 users in 2011.

Gowalla, which was made popular due to its "check-ins," had recently redesigned its mobile apps to move towards "user-generated place recommendations." The site was beginning to feel the heat from check-in services like FourSquare and from daily deal behemoths Groupon and Google before being acquired.

Some employees, including Gowalla's co-founders, will be making the move to Palo Alto to work on Facebook's Timeline initiative.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 11 Mar 2012 20:53

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• 5 comments

• ivymike

  So what's the whole point of acquiring a company if you're just gonna kill it??? Sounds like a waste of $$$

  11.3.2012 22:25 #1

• Jeffrey_P

  Originally posted by ivymike: So what's the whole point of acquiring a company if you're just gonna kill it??? Sounds like a waste of $$$ It's called corporate raiding. If the company that is acquired does not meet your expectation far as being profitable, you steal the tech then shut it down.
  
  Jeff

  12.3.2012 11:38 #2

• xboxdvl2

  i remember seeing the check in feature but never used it.i did write on a m8s facebook status "robbing your house while facebook says your too far away to stop me"
  

  R.I.P. mr 1990 ford falcon.got myself a 1993 toyota corolla seems to run good.computers still going good.

  12.3.2012 12:06 #3

• seanseansean

  Originally posted by Jeffrey_P: Originally posted by ivymike: So whats the whole point of acquiring a company if youre just gonna kill it??? Sounds like a waste of $$$ Its called corporate raiding. If the company that is acquired does not meet your expectation far as being profitable, you steal the tech then shut it down.
  
  Jeff Buying and then shutting down small companies with potentially "disruptive" technologies has been a mainstay of the electronic robber barron MO for some while. That and just suing them out of existence via patent troll bullying (wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_troll).

  12.3.2012 13:30 #4

• Mez

  Originally posted by ivymike: So what's the whole point of acquiring a company if you're just gonna kill it??? Sounds like a waste of $$$ Patents! The potential value of the patents might be more than the stock. Maybe it was cheap enough that they bought it on a whim.

  15.3.2012 16:22 #5