"Meebo let you use AIM, MSN, and Yahoo Messenger in a browser tab. Google acquired it. Shut it down in 6 weeks."
$35M
RAISED
—
EMPLOYEES
84
MONTHS
acquisition gone wrongAcqui-hire
// Fatal mistake: Acquired by Google for talent, not product — immediate shutdown planned at acquisition
Key Events Timeline
2005-01
FOUNDING
Meebo founded by Seth Sternberg, Elaine Wherry, and Sandy Jen as a browser-based instant messaging aggregator supporting AIM, MSN, Yahoo, and Jabber with no software installation required
2005-09
FUNDING
Meebo raised $3.5M Series A led by Sequoia Capital, validating the web-based IM aggregator model
2008-03
PIVOT
Meebo pivoted away from pure IM aggregation toward the Meebo Bar, a social sharing and chat toolbar embedded on publisher websites, aiming to monetize 70M+ users through advertising on third-party sites
2010-06
FUNDING
Meebo raised $25M Series D at an estimated $200M valuation, bringing total funding to ~$45M; capital earmarked to scale the Meebo Bar network across 1M+ publisher websites
2012-06
ACQUISITION ATTEMPT
Google acquired Meebo for a reported $100M in an acqui-hire; six weeks after closing, Google shut down all Meebo products including the Meebo Bar used by 1M+ websites, terminating all 70M+ user accounts
2012-07
SHUTDOWN
Meebo Bar officially turned off across all 1M+ publisher websites; all registered user accounts and chat history permanently deleted, ending Meebo as an independent product seven years after launch
🔥 Hall of Flame 38%🏆 Hall of Fame 45%
Meebo launched in 2005 as a web-based aggregator of instant messaging services — users could access AIM, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Jabber, and others through a single browser tab with no software installation required.
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