Business
HubSpot Founders Dharmesh Shah and Brian Halligan
Hubspot founders Dharmesh Shah and Brian Halligan (Dina Rudick/Getty Images)
Big tech M&A

Google might buy what it can’t build

With a history of shutting down failed projects, Google parent Alphabet is considering the M&A route instead.

Jack Raines

Google parent Alphabet is considering a bid for $34 billion marketing software solutions platform, according to Reuters. Why would Alphabet want to acquire Hubspot? And, related, what actually is Hubspot?

Hubspot is one of several publicly traded multi-billion dollar software as a service (SaaS)  companies that no one really knows what it does. Think: Atlassian, ServiceNow, or Workday. But its business is straightforward: Hubspot offers sales and marketing teams user-friendly dashboards for creating, tracking, and updating their leads. This data is compiled in a single central database, instead of being siloed in team-specific databases, improving transparency and information continuity across an enterprise, and their dashboards integrate with thousands of third-party apps. TL;DR: Hubspot is a solution for managing a company’s sales and marketing departments.

Why would Alphabet want to acquire Hubspot? Well, they’re infamous for launching, and then shutting down, various projects. A few examples: Google Domains, Google Currents (which was the rebranded version of Google+), Google Jamboard, Google Cloud IoT Core, Google Hangouts, Google Surveys, G Suite, and Google Go Links. For those curious, you can see the full list of Google’s graveyard at killedbygoogle.com.

What Alphabet does have, however, is near-infinite consumer data, a dominant portion of the search market, and a powerful advertising business. Combining Hubspot’s marketing and lead generation solutions with Google’s search and ad capabilities could be valuable for sales and marketing teams, depending on how they are integrated.

If Alphabet makes a formal offer, however, it will almost certainly be flagged by regulators. FTC Chair Lina Khan has been cracking down on big tech M&A since taking over, and the world’s biggest search provider acquiring a $34 billion B2B marketing solution fits the template for deals she would sue to block.

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Starbucks issues apology after viral “Bearista” cup meltdown

Holiday cheer turned into chaos this week for Starbucks after the coffee giant’s new “Bearista” holiday cup sent fans into a frenzy. 

Dropped alongside its 2025 holiday menu, the $30 beanie-wearing glass bear tumbler sparked long lines, sellouts, and even in-store scuffles before Starbucks stepped in with an apology.

“The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations,” the company said in a statement to People. “Despite shipping more Bearista cups to our coffeehouses than almost any other item this holiday season, the Bearista cup and some other items sold out fast.”

Within hours of launch, frustrated fans flooded Starbucks’ social media pages and even store hotlines. Some customers waited in line before dawn and others said their stores received only a handful of cups. In one Houston location, the craze even turned physical, with police reportedly called to break up a brawl. Meanwhile, the cup is already reselling on sites like eBay, with listings topping $600.

“We understand many customers were excited about the Bearista cup and apologize for the disappointment this may have caused,” Starbucks said. While in-store customers may be upset, investors seem happy about the viral hit, as the stock has risen over 3% on Friday.

If you’re still hoping for a Bearista at market price, that may not be on order: the chain didn’t disclose how many cups were made or whether a restock is planned.

business

Target tells workers to smile, wave, and greet shoppers if they come within 10 feet of them

Target just rolled out a new rule for store employees: smile, make eye contact, and greet or wave when a shopper comes within 10 feet — and if they get closer, within four feet, ask whether they need help or how their day is going, according to a new Bloomberg report.

Dubbed the 10-4 program internally, the rule mirrors rival Walmarts own 10-foot policy, formalizing behavior Target had previously only encouraged.

business

Monster surges on energy drink buzz, while Celsius sinks on distribution concerns

Shares of Monster Beverage climbed 5% after the bell on Thursday, and held most of those gains into early trading on Friday, following strong Q3 results.

The energy drink giant topped market expectations, with quarterly sales up 17% year over year to $2.2 billion and adjusted net profits growing 41% to $524.5 million — 11% ahead of Wall Street’s estimates. In the report, Monster highlighted its zero-sugar line and new product launches, with a stack of novel flavors already released this year, as bright spots.

During a call with analysts, Chief Executive Hilton Schlosberg said that the global energy drink category “remains healthy with robust growth,” The Wall Street Journal reported, adding that demand for more affordable caffeinated drinks is rising as coffee has become “really expensive.”

Meanwhile, rival beverage business Celsius saw shares fall as much as 23% on its Q3 results yesterday — despite beating expectations, with revenue jumping 173% — largely due to concerns about a change in the company’s distribution channel, as its newly acquired Alani Nu brand joins the PepsiCo distribution network.

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