Tech companies like Google, Facebook and Zynga are on a shopping spree. They're buying small startups with innovative products and apps. But, many times, the tech giants don't care about what the small companies were producing. They just want the engineers.
There's a new name for these deals: the "acqui-hire," and it could mean the end to your favorite app.
I first noticed the phenomenon this summer when Google swallowed my favorite email app. I paid money for it, and now it's headed for a slow death.
