Healthtech firm Medici acquires medical messaging app DocbookMD
Founded in 2016, Medici is a platform that allows secure messaging between doctors and patients. Back in June, the company raised $22 million, and is putting that money to use with the acquisition of DocbookMD, another Austin-based healthtech company. The latter firm also creates software for secure, medical-related communications. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but DocbookMD’s team will be retained and transitioned to Medici. [Austin Business Journal]
Microsoft, Walmart plan joint engineering office in Austin
Forget the Amazon HQ2 madness. Two other major companies just announced plans to set roots in Austin next year. According to reports, Walmart plans on expanding its existing tech hub in Austin. The expansion will house 30 engineers from both Walmart and new partner Microsoft. Specifically, engineers in this newly-minted division will work on retail-oriented cloud services, creating products to compete with Amazon Web Services. [GeekWire]
Bumble drops $400M lawsuit against Match Group
Austin’s Bumble and Dallas’s Match Group have a complicated relationship. The latest in the saga? Bumble is reportedly dropping its $400 million lawsuit against Match Group. The suit, filed in March, was actually a counter-suit to Match Group, which sued Bumble earlier that month. The back and forth is allegedly connected to Bumble’s rejection of an acquisition by Match Group early in the year. Ah, the course of true love never did run smooth. [Texas Tech Pulse]
Google employees stage walkout
Last Thursday, thousands of Google employees around the world walked out of their offices in protest of the company’s handling of sexual misconduct reports, specifically involving high-level executives. Austin’s Google office was no exception to the protest, with dozens joining the walkout. Participants issued demands involving more transparent and concretized processes for reporting sexual misconduct, as well as an end to pay and opportunity inequality. Google CEO Sundar Pichai responded to the protests, saying “We [at the company] need to follow up with actions.” [Statesman]
