Google Acquires Usenet Discussion Service and Significant Assets From Deja.com; Award-Winning Search Engine Launches Beta Version of Usenet Newsgroup Search

Business Wire, Feb 12, 2001

Business Editors/Technology Writers

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 12, 2001

Google Inc. today announced that is has acquired Deja.com's Usenet Discussion Service. This acquisition provides Google with Deja's entire Usenet archive (dating back to 1995), software, domain names including deja.com and dejanews.com, company trademarks, and other intellectual property. Financial terms of this transaction were not released.

Available now at http://groups.google.com, this powerful new Usenet search feature enables Google users to access the wealth of information contained in more than six months of Usenet newsgroup postings and message threads. Once the full Deja Usenet archive is added, users will be able to search and browse more than 500 million archived messages with the speed and efficiency of a Google search. In addition to expanding the amount of searchable data, Google will soon provide improved browsing capabilities and newsgroup posting.

"We welcome Deja's loyal users into the growing community of Google users worldwide," said Larry Page, Google CEO and co-founder. "With more than 500 million individual messages and growing fast, Usenet and its thriving community is one of the most active and valuable information sources on the Internet."

"The acquisition of Deja's significant assets will enable Google to offer an important new source of information to both Deja and Google users," said Omid Kordestani, Google's vice president of business development and sales. "We will continue to build and acquire the necessary technologies to provide the best search experience to millions of Google users worldwide."

The award-winning Google search engine serves 70 million searches per day, with approximately half of these searches performed on the company's homepage at http://www.google.com. Google offers a wide variety of custom search service products and currently licenses its search technology to more than 120 companies in 30 countries.

About Google

With the largest index of websites available on the World Wide Web and the industry's most advanced search technology, Google Inc. delivers the fastest and easiest way to find relevant information on the Internet. Google's technological innovations have earned the company numerous industry awards and citations, including two Webby Awards; WIRED magazine's Reader Raves Award; Best Internet Innovation and Technical Excellence Award from PC Magazine; Best Search Engine on the Internet from Yahoo! Internet Life; Top Ten Best Cybertech from TIME magazine; and Editor's Pick from CNET. A growing number of companies worldwide, including Yahoo!, AOL/Netscape, and Cisco Systems, rely on Google to power search on their websites. A privately-held company based in Mountain View, Calif., Google's investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Capital. More information about Google can be found on the Google site at http://www.google.com.

Google is a trademark of Google Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Editors Note: Additional press information is available http://www.google.com/press/index.html. Members of the media can also reach Google public relations at 650/930-3555 or at press@google.com.