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By John McCormick
Sun Microsystems said that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Swedish open source database company MySQL for $1 billion—$800 million in cash for stock and the assumption of approximately $200 million in options.
Sun said it will use its sales channels to further the distribution of the popular database. More than 100 million copies of MySQL have been downloaded and distributed, Sun said, and customers include Facebook, Google, and Nokia.
"Today's acquisition reaffirms Sun's position at the center of the global Web economy," said Sun CEO and president Jonathan Schwartz, in a statement. "MySQL's employees and culture, along with its near ubiquity across the Web, make it an ideal fit with Sun's open approach to network innovation. And most importantly, this announcement boosts our investments into the communities at the heart of innovation on the Internet and of enterprises that rely on technology as a competitive weapon."
When the deal closes, MySQL will be integrated into Sun's Software, Sales and Service organizations, according to Sun, and MySQL's CEO, Marten Mickos, will join Sun's executive team. The transaction is expected to close in Sun’s third or fourth quarter—the company's fiscal year ends in June.
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