Big Technology Acquisitions & Acqui-hire

Abstract

This thesis explores whether hiring by Big Tech corporations (GAFAM) occurs largely after acquiring a talent-focused startup. The study examines how long founders remain with the company following an acquisition using a dataset of more than 300 acquisitions. The findings, which were obtained through the use of survival analysis and logistic regression, indicate that the acquiring firm, the kind of startup, and the founder's country of origin all affect founder retention. In particular, entrepreneurs frequently stay with businesses like Apple and Facebook even after their goods are withdrawn from the market. The hiring strategy as a strategic motivator in digital mergers is experimentally supported by these findings.