Google Acquires Character.AI Team
Narrative
Google acquires Character.AI founding team and licenses technology. Character.AI to operate independently. Strengthens Google conversational AI.
Reality
Deal valued at $2.7B. Character.AI team joined Google DeepMind. Technology integrated into Gemini. Consumer product sunset. Consolidation signal to market.
Implication
Demonstrated big tech consolidation pressure. Specialized consumer AI companies facing acquisition path vs independence. Talent and technology primary value.