Google has officially acquired Like.com, a visual search engine founded by Munjal Shah. This acquisition marks a significant milestone in the complex history between the two companies, which began in 2005 when Google nearly acquired Riya, Shah’s previous venture in image recognition. After Google walked away from that deal, Shah pivoted Riya’s technology towards e-commerce, creating Like.com. The company subsequently raised substantial venture capital and expanded into various fashion-related platforms, including Covet.com, Weardrobe, Couturious, and What To Wear. While the terms of the Google-Like.com deal were not disclosed, it’s reportedly valued at over $100 million.
The acquisition raises questions about Google’s intentions in the e-commerce and visual search space. Like.com‘s traffic had stagnated in recent months, and its various fashion-oriented offshoots hadn’t gained significant traction. However, Google’s interest likely lies in Like.com‘s core visual search and cross-matching technology, rather than its fashion-specific applications. Shah and his team are expected to continue their work on visual search and e-commerce within Google, potentially enhancing the search giant’s capabilities in these areas. This acquisition demonstrates the persistent value of innovative technology and the potential for success even after initial setbacks in the tech industry.