Evaluate a Google acquisition of Evernote against building its own notes product

You are a product manager at Google, and leadership is weighing whether to buy Evernote, the note-taking app. Would you recommend the acquisition? Walk through how you would evaluate the deal and finish with a clear answer. ```hint Ask what the money buys Separate what Evernote would bring (users, paying customers, technology, team, brand) from what Google already offers in its own notes and documents products, then compare buying with building or partnering. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Is the decision about today, with Evernote as it is now, or about an earlier moment when it was independent and growing quickly? - Which Google goal should the deal serve: more paid Workspace seats, winning consumers away from rival note apps, or a stronger base for Google's AI note and research tools? - Would Evernote keep running as its own product, or would its users be moved into Keep and Docs? - Is there a price range to assume, or should the answer reason about value without a number? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - The strategic goal the acquisition would serve and where notes fit in Google's productivity and AI plans. - An inventory of Evernote's assets and liabilities compared with Google's existing products, such as Keep, Docs and Drive. - Buy versus build versus partner, weighed on cost, speed, integration effort and user churn. - Integration and trust risks, including Google's record of retiring products and the effort of migrating years of user notes. - A firm recommendation, the conditions that would change it, and the metrics that would show success. ### Follow-up Questions - If the deal went ahead, how would you move Evernote users over without losing most of the paying base? - What would you ask to see in Evernote's data during due diligence before making a bid? - If you recommend building instead, what would you ship first to win over Evernote's most loyal users?