Mozilla buys Pocket in first ever acquisition

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pocket_dribble2
But don't worry; Pocket is going nowhere!
Photo: Pocket

Mozilla, the company behind the Firefox web browser, just snapped up Pocket in its first ever acquisition.

Pocket will remain an independent subsidiary and promises to continue delivering the service fans know and love. However, the Mozilla takeover will allow it to add “fuel to the rocketship” and build an even greater product.

If you’re not already using Pocket, you’re missing out. Similar to Instapaper and Safari’s Reading List, it’s a simple yet powerful service that lets you save content for later. You can store articles and videos that you don’t have time to read and watch right away and enjoy them later.

Pocket is now available almost everywhere, thanks to apps on Android and iOS, and web browser extensions for Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. What’s more, it’s going to get even better, thanks to the power of Mozilla.

The team behind Pocket will remain the same, and its existing roadmap has been “reinforced and is clearer than ever.” Major updates are still in the pipeline and will be dropping in the coming months, and Pocket has no plans to disappear.

However, the new partnership with Mozilla will bring deeper connections with Firefox, and big improvements to the Pocket service that can now be delivered even faster.

“They have extraordinary resources, global scale, and reach to put Pocket in more places, and help us build an even better product, faster,” reads an announcement on the Pocket blog.

“Together we are going to continue expanding the reach of high-quality content, while staying true to the values that drive both Pocket and Mozilla alike: Protecting the openness of the web and creating a content platform built around trust and privacy.”

So, what does Mozilla get from this? Well, a lot of users is one thing. Pocket already boasts around 10 million active users a month, and they’re going to help further the company’s Context Graph — a project that aims to improve search by tailoring results to each user.

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