This is a good acquisition for Zynga. Now parents will no longer be burdened with the hassle of knowing where their kids are while playing FarmVille. </sarcasm> Congratulations to the Whereoscope team :)
How, and why, do these things get leaked? Is it in either Zynga's or Whereoscope's interest to get a little PR before a sale? In other words, is this sort of thing strategic, or a lack of discipline on one party's part?
Whatever the case, congratulations to both sides if this comes true.
One vector is that investors and lawyers talk. It's hard to move millions of dollars around quietly. Once I was visiting the office of a company in acquisition negotiations. The office phone was ringing off the hook with personal wealth managers cold-calling the employees by name.
Generally not in either party's interest to leak (unless it's a negotiation tactic). But unfortunately when you are closing a sale there are a bunch of people you have to talk to (investors, lawyers, accountants etc) and it only takes one person with questionable scruples to email techcrunch.
Talent acquisition for a team of 2 developers? Really? I find it hard to believe.
How is a talent acquisition of two people different from a talent acquisition of a larger number? Are you saying the time overhead of going through with an acquisition is hard to justify for just two people?
I assume they're acquiring them to put some sort of "limit your kid's usage of Farmville" type deal?