Back in 2009, TechCrunch Founder Michael Arrington wrote that CNET (and parent company CBS) were sniffing around gdgt, the then-brand-new community/review site/blog by Peter Rojas and Ryan Block. While CNET was considering an investment at the time, an acquisition was said not to be an option.
Oh, how time can change things. Two years later, we’re not only hearing that CNET is now in talks to acquire gdgt, but also that the deal could be announced as early as this week.
Our tipster was unable to provide any details on the financial terms of the deal — these details are, presumably, still being worked out. Even if the deal goes through, we’re told that gdgt’s new partnership with Engadget (who, like TechCrunch, is owned by AOL) will not be impacted.
And what about Block and Rojas? The deal would presumably be structured to try and keep them on board for as long as possible.
Though not often mentioned as one to snatch up other companies, this wouldn’t be CNET’s first acquisition. They acquired mySimon and ZDNet in 2000, the TechTracker network (VersionTracker, MacFixit, etc) in 2007, China’s 55bbs.com in 2008, and, coincidentally, a technology product database company called GDT way back in 1999.
Gdgt co-founder Ryan Block politely declined to comment.
Update: An investor in the company reached out to us and says there is no deal with Cnet or even any talks. We’ll take his denial at face value at this point and admit we may have gotten this one wrong.
gdgt (parent company: PastFuture) is a consumer electronics site by Peter Rojas and Ryan Block. Rojas was the founding editor of Engadget and Gizmodo and Block was editor-in-chief of Engadget.
Peter Rojas is the CEO and co-founder of RCRD LBL, an ad-supported free music download site. Additionally he’s working on a consumer electronics focused startup, gdgt, with Ryan Block. Prior to RCRD LBL, Rojas was and the founder and editorial director of Engadget, a daily blog covering gadgets and personal technology with a monthly readership of over 9 million. He was also the co-founder of Joystiq, Gizmodo, and Hackaday, and served as an on-air contributor to HGTV’s I Want...
Formerly, Block was the editor-in-chief of Engadget, a blog focused on obsessive coverage of consumer electronics and technology. Block is also a contributor to and a founding editor of Joystiq, and a technology critic and commentator who has been quoted by the BBC, Business Week, Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Times, and The Wall St. Journal. Prior to Engadget, he worked in network engineering. In August 2008 Ryan left Engadget to work on a startup in...
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