Google changes focus on dealmaking

Google has narrowed the focus of its corporate acquisitions to a smaller number of big strategic areas, according to the man in charge of overseeing one of the tech industry’s largest M&A program.

The new approach to dealmaking reflects a broader effort by Larry Page, who took over as chief executive last year, to throw the search company’s weight behind its handful of biggest bets, replacing an earlier, more experimental period at the company. As a result, Google has now largely focused its acquisitions in new markets such as video and mobile, David Lawee, Google’s head of corporate development, said. He added, though, that the company did not expect to use acquisitions to strengthen its presence in social networking, which has become its most important strategic drive.