Google Inc has acquired Wavii, the Seattle-based startup behind a news summarization app, for roughly $30 million in cash, a person with knowledge of the matter said Tuesday. Google’s successful bid came after Apple Inc had expressed interest in buying Wavii to incorporate the startup’s natural language technology into Siri, Apple’s voice-activated personal assistant feature, said the person, who declined to be named because the deal has not been publicly announced. Google and Wavii declined to comment. Google’s purchase comes several weeks after Yahoo Inc paid a similar amount to acquire Summly, the news reader and Wavii competitor founded by 17-year-old Nick D’Aloisio in London. The deals have taken out of play two small companies that sought to enhance how consumer experience news – a significant concern for Google and Yahoo, which both maintain highly trafficked news sites.
