--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Big companies such as Google and Facebook…" description: "\"Big companies such as Google and Facebook buy startups at ridiculously high prices - not for their products, but for their people.\" — Vivek Wadhwa" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/vivek-wadhwa-10148_big_big-companies-such-as-google-and-faceboo_2895640.png" --- # Big companies such as Google and Facebook buy startups at… ![“Big companies such as Google and Facebook buy startups at ridiculously high prices - not for their products, but for their people.” quote by Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/vivek-wadhwa-10148_big_big-companies-such-as-google-and-faceboo_2895640.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/vivek-wadhwa-10148_big_big-companies-such-as-google-and-faceboo_2895640.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/vivek-wadhwa-10148_big_big-companies-such-as-google-and-faceboo_2895640.png) > “Big companies such as Google and Facebook buy startups at ridiculously high prices - not for their products, but for their people.” [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Tech giants acquire startups mainly for talent, not products, reflecting a talent‑driven market. **In simple terms:** Big firms buy startups for people, not products. Key Takeaway Invest in people, not just ideas. Themes acquisition talent tech industry Mood analytical critical Type business strategic When to use this quote - startup fundraising - HR strategy - investment decisions Key Concepts human capital strategic hiring Questions to Reflect On - How do you assess talent versus product? - What are risks of talent‑only acquisitions? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on talent can ignore product potential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big companies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-companies/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Companies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companies/) [Entrepreneurship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurship/) [Facebook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facebook/) [High prices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-prices/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Startups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/startups/) ## Related quotes > [Little startups are ridiculously overfunded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-parker/little-startups-are-ridiculously-overfunded/) [Sean Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-parker/) > [Big companies are looking closer term, and even the most technological companies spend less than 1% of sales on research. Startups have suffered the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/big-companies-are-looking-closer-term-and-even-the-most-technological/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [Startups are the engines of exponential growth, manifesting the power of innovation. Several big companies today are startups of yesterday. They were born with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/startups-are-the-engines-of-exponential-growth-manifesting-the-power/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [“If you want to make money at some point, remember this, because this is one of the reasons startups win. Big companies want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/if-you-want-to-make-money-at-some-point-remember-this-because-this-is/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [Startups allow technologists and scientists to take risks and change plans in a way that would be frowned upon in a big company. Having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/startups-allow-technologists-and-scientists-to-take-risks-and-change/) [Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/) > [In the U.S., PC-makers have no incentive to lower prices because it kills their profit margins. They keep adding new features like high-end retina…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/in-the-u-s-pc-makers-have-no-incentive-to-lower-prices-because-it/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) > [“You’re crazy,” I whispered, attempting to tug my hand from Sebastian’s grip. “Crazy for you,” he countered, leading me into his kitchen through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-johnson/you-re-crazy-i-whispered-attempting-to-tug-my-hand-from-sebastian-s/) [Julie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-johnson/) > [God loves us extravagantly, ridiculously, without limit or condition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberta-bondi/god-loves-us-extravagantly-ridiculously-without-limit-or-condition/) [Roberta Bondi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberta-bondi/) > [Sometimes I feel like a human pin cushion. Every painful emotion hits me with ridiculously exaggerated force. And the anxiety feels like hands inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliana-hatfield/sometimes-i-feel-like-a-human-pin-cushion-every-painful-emotion-hits/) [Juliana Hatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliana-hatfield/) > [I think you can have a ridiculously enormous and complex data set, but if you have the right tools and methodology then it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-koblin/i-think-you-can-have-a-ridiculously-enormous-and-complex-data-set-but/) [Aaron Koblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-koblin/) > [To play different characters on a TV show where you're working every day, playing multiple characters every day, it's so ridiculously intense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiel-huisman/to-play-different-characters-on-a-tv-show-where-you-re-working-every/) [Michiel Huisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiel-huisman/) > [In a very real way, ownership is the essence of leadership. When you are 'ridiculously in charge,' then you own whatever happens in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cloud/in-a-very-real-way-ownership-is-the-essence-of-leadership-when-you/) [Henry Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cloud/) > [“Bentley Jaxon Chamberlin He would find it ridiculously”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skye-jordan/bentley-jaxon-chamberlin-he-would-find-it-ridiculously/) [Skye Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skye-jordan/) > [After filming, I can't wait to shake off all that '50s primness. I'll go out to a gig and dance ridiculously. I love to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-raine/after-filming-i-can-t-wait-to-shake-off-all-that-50s-primness-i-ll-go/) [Jessica Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-raine/) > [I was watching Orson Welles and Jean Vigo films at a ridiculously young age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-corbet/i-was-watching-orson-welles-and-jean-vigo-films-at-a-ridiculously/) [Brady Corbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-corbet/) ## More by Vivek Wadhwa > [You will find that every successful entrepreneur has suffered many setbacks. These entrepreneurs just forget to mention these when they are doing interviews with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/you-will-find-that-every-successful-entrepreneur-has-suffered-many/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) > [When I start getting embroiled in heated debates and feeling stressed, I just turn everything off and disconnect from the world. I simply tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/when-i-start-getting-embroiled-in-heated-debates-and-feeling-stressed/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) > [What the tech industry often forgets is that with age comes wisdom. Older workers are usually better at following direction, mentoring, and leading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/what-the-tech-industry-often-forgets-is-that-with-age-comes-wisdom/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) > [You need to be able to SHARE IDEAS, INSPIRE and MOTIVATE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/you-need-to-be-able-to-share-ideas-inspire-and-motivate/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) > [Innovation is all about people. Innovation thrives when the population is diverse, accepting and willing to cooperate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/innovation-is-all-about-people-innovation-thrives-when-the-population/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) > [Innovating Women is more important today than ever. Things are changing for the better. The recent announcements by Google, LinkedIn, Yahoo, and Facebook of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/innovating-women-is-more-important-today-than-ever-things-are/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) > [Hiring foreigners is more expensive and more difficult than hiring locals, because of the visa fees and long lead times for visa processing. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/hiring-foreigners-is-more-expensive-and-more-difficult-than-hiring/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) > [Corporate executives and business owners need to realize that there can be no compromise when it comes to ethics, and there are no easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/corporate-executives-and-business-owners-need-to-realize-that-there/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) > [Student loan debt is the reason I don't advise students who want to become entrepreneurs to apply to elite, expensive colleges. They can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/student-loan-debt-is-the-reason-i-don-t-advise-students-who-want-to/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) > [What you want in a mentor is someone who truly cares for you and who will look after your interests and not just their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/what-you-want-in-a-mentor-is-someone-who-truly-cares-for-you-and-who/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) > [The goal should be to build a sustainable lifestyle business that does good for employees and customers - and that steadily builds wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/the-goal-should-be-to-build-a-sustainable-lifestyle-business-that/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) > [One of the biggest problems that software developers face is that technology changes rapidly. It is very hard to stay current.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/one-of-the-biggest-problems-that-software-developers-face-is-that/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) > [My advice to fledgling entrepreneurs is always the same: build a company that you plan to be with for the next 10 years -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/my-advice-to-fledgling-entrepreneurs-is-always-the-same-build-a/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) > [When I became an entrepreneur, I had the knowledge to develop and manage budgets, market products and review legal contracts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/when-i-became-an-entrepreneur-i-had-the-knowledge-to-develop-and/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) > [A key to achieving success is to assemble a strong and stable management team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/a-key-to-achieving-success-is-to-assemble-a-strong-and-stable/) [Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) [Explore all 67 Vivek Wadhwa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/) ## More Big quotes > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [I always want to do a big finale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-yuh-nelson/i-always-want-to-do-a-big-finale/) [Jennifer Yuh Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-yuh-nelson/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/) [Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/) > [I think a big part of success in football is mental, not physical. How you are inside your head matters more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iker-casillas/i-think-a-big-part-of-success-in-football-is-mental-not-physical-how/) [Iker Casillas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iker-casillas/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Making sure that people have access to preventive medicine for the first time ever as a nation? That's a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/making-sure-that-people-have-access-to-preventive-medicine-for-the/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [If you read 'Lord of the Rings' and dismiss it as a lie because it has orcs and elves, you're missing the whole point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-tennapel/if-you-read-lord-of-the-rings-and-dismiss-it-as-a-lie-because-it-has/) [Doug TenNapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-tennapel/) > [What I know about Ali Krieger is no moment is ever going to be too big for her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-ellis/what-i-know-about-ali-krieger-is-no-moment-is-ever-going-to-be-too/) [Jill Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-ellis/) Browse all 12,477 Big quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Big companies such as Google and Facebook buy startups at ridiculously high prices - not for their products, but for their people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vivek Wadhwa" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/big-companies-such-as-google-and-facebook-buy-startups-at/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Big" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/big-companies-such-as-google-and-facebook-buy-startups-at/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/vivek-wadhwa-10148_big_big-companies-such-as-google-and-faceboo_2895640.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/vivek-wadhwa-10148_big_big-companies-such-as-google-and-faceboo_2895640.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e88/vivek-wadhwa-10148_big_big-companies-such-as-google-and-faceboo_2895640.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Big companies such as Google and Facebook buy startups at ridiculously high prices - not for their products…” — Vivek Wadhwa", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Vivek Wadhwa", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Big companies such as Google and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/big-companies-such-as-google-and-facebook-buy-startups-at/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/big-companies-such-as-google-and-facebook-buy-startups-at/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```