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The patents they received from Motorola effectively put an end to Apple's Android witch hunt.

Prior to this acquisition, Apple was determined to sue Android out of existence. They were on a rage-fueled mission to end a product they viewed as a copycat, and they knew Google didn't hold any patents to defend themselves.

When Google acquired Motorola's patents, the tables turned and it was Google that could end Apple or at least turn it into mutually assured destruction.

Those patents alone were worth a hundred billion for the headache they saved Google and the market position they opened up.

This was one of Google's smartest moves of all time.




I definitely did not consider this earlier. Do you know of some other big examples where monetary loss was actually a win when considered in an overall context?




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