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Google's 16 biggest purchases, and how they worked out

Google's will be its biggest acquisition ever -- more than four times the size of , the previous leader.

But over the last decade, has been one of the biggest -- and most successful -- acquirers in the tech industry, and owes a lot of its success to these smart buys.

Its core search advertising platform and most of its biggest new businesses, including , , and display advertising, all come from other companies.

Join us as we count down Google's top 16 acquisitions by value and show what happened to them.

#16: Android mobile platform, "up to" $50 million (estimated)

Newscom
Google spent "up to" $50 million on the Android mobile platform. But that's nothing compared to the $12.5 billion it's about to spend on Motorola Mobility.

  • By Matt Rosoff Business Insider

Last October, Google M&A chief David Lawee called the 2005 acquisition of Android -- the mobile phone platform started by ex-Danger leader Andy Rubin -- its "best deal ever." Less than three years after launch, it has become the most popular smartphone platform in the world.

#15: Aardvark social search, $50 million

Google paid about $50 million for social search Q&A service in February 2010, but hasn't really done much with it yet. However, there are that suggest that Aardvark -- or what's left of it -- will soon be integrated into Google's new social network.

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