Preparing to gear up for more deals, Facebook has hired Amin Zoufonoun, a director of corporate development at Google, to lead its M&A efforts. Zoufonoun, who led acquisitions including On2,
Grandcentral (Google Voice), Feedburner, and Simplify Media at Google, is expected to join Facebook next week, according to a
Reuters article. Facebook last year acquired 10 companies, its most to date, including HotPotato and Chai Labs.
Most recently, it snapped up mobile marketing startup Beluga. More deals are expected this year as the rivalry between Facebook and Google heats up to capture ever larger online audiences and ad
market share.
Among other executives Facebook has recruited from Google are COO Sheryl Sandburg, David Fischer, VP of advertising and global operations, and mobile head Erick Tseng. To pursue
more acquisitions, Zoufonoun is also expected to expand Facebook's fledgling M&A group. That means more potential Google defections.
