How Google's $7B Loss On Motorola Is A Success (Or Not)

Analysts say that the 'big bet gone wrong' may be win after all

Google spent $12.5 billion for Motorola, sold it off in pieces that returned $5.1 billion, and yet some analysts are claiming that it was a deal well struck.

On its face, Google’s purchase of Motorola Mobility, a deal that closed in 2012, was a failure. It seemed like an overpriced play to buy the old electronics company’s cellular patents. Google surprisingly kept the handset division and it tried to build its own smartphones—that didn’t work well.

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