Twitter seals “acqui-hire” with Whetlab
Machine learning is a cornerstone of tech development but sometimes training machines to absorb information can take time. Whetlab is a company that has pioneered systems to accelerate that process, reducing the amount of time it requires to get new machine learning systems off the ground. This week, it was announced that the firm was purchased by Twitter, which will implement those solutions to improve operations for one of the world's largest social networks.
"We have created a technology to make machine learning better and faster for companies, automatically," Whetlab said on its website. "Twitter is the platform for open communication on the internet and we believe that Whetlab's technology can have a great impact by accelerating Twitter's internal machine learning efforts."
The Cambridge, Mass.-based startup was purchased in what's been called an "acqui-hire," where a parent company seeks smaller businesses to perform essential tasks within the framework of an existing business model. Twitter is no stranger to this style of M&A, having acquired a number of companies since it was founded.
One of Twitter's most recent high-profile acquisitions was that of Periscope, a video streaming service that allows users to project live video to viewers around the world. With Whetlab, Twitter may find new ways to monetize, which has long been a hurdle to the value of the company and others like it.
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