Blink bought out by Yahoo

The makers of a mobile phone app that allows users to chat to each other and then destroy the messages have confirmed the sale of the business to Yahoo.

Blink will therefore be wound down over the course of the next few weeks, as the key reason for the takeover has been so Yahoo can acquire the talent behind the app.

The creators of Blink are to join Yahoo's team that works on "smart communication" products and the members of staff moving over includes ex-Google employees Kevin Stephens and Michelle Norgan.

In a statement posted on the Blink website, the creators stated that they "look forward to the possibilities that will come from bringing the Blink vision to Yahoo". They added: "We built Blink because we believe everyone should be free to show the same honesty and spontaneity in their online conversations as they can in person."

Acquisitions

Over the course of the last two years, Yahoo has increasingly been snapping up a range of exciting new start-ups, with commentators speculating this is to improve the level of talent employed within its ranks.

Yahoo has also made a number of controversial decisions since the appointment of chief executive Marissa Mayer, who announced she no longer wants members of staff to work from home, even though she has a creche for her own children in her office.

Self-destruct apps have been increasingly popular in the last 12 months in the wake of the NSA spying scandal, which revealed spies in the US have been intercepting emails, text messages and voicemails on a massive scale.

Snapchat, which allows users to send photos that self-destruct after a certain number of seconds, has been the subject of a massive takeover bid, but the company has so far resisted any attempt to buy the business.

Following the news of the Blink purchase, shares in Yahoo slipped back by 0.15 per cent during yesterday's trading session on the Nasdaq, while stocks in the firm were flat in after-hours trade.

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