FACT CHECK #GSCE6SJN

WHAT WE FOUND

Hi there! I'd be happy to help you clear this up. It turns out that the claim that Hotmail sold for only $2 million is False. In reality, Microsoft purchased the email service for a much larger sum, widely reported to be approximately $400 million 91014. The acquisition was officially announced on December 31, 1997 34, after founders Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith had launched the service in 1996 2. Microsoft made this move to integrate free web-based email into its Microsoft Network (MSN) services 111. While there are some variations in reports—with one source even suggesting a figure as high as $500 million 13—the consensus among financial experts and historians is that the price tag was in the 400 million dollar range 1014, which is quite a bit more than $2 million!

SOURCES

1. 1 · cnet.comWEB
   Microsoft buys Hotmail

   TIER B

2. 2 · latimes.comWEB
   Cofounder Sabeer Bhatia sheds no tears for demise of ...

   TIER B

3. 3 · news.microsoft.comWEB
   Microsoft Acquires Hotmail

   TIER B

4. 4 · nytimes.comNEWS
   Microsoft Continues Buying Spree With Hotmail

   TIER A

5. 5 · americanbar.orgWEB
   ommunications Lawyer C

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6. 6 · archive.epic.orgWEB
   EPIC in the News

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7. 7 · studentreview.hks.harvard.eduACADEMIC
   Kennedy School Review

   TIER A

8. 8 · repozytorium.uni.wroc.plWEB
   The American Voter and Social Media and Celebrities in ...

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9. 9 · linkedin.comWEB
   How Microsoft bought Hotmail for $400M

   TIER B

10. 10 · en.wikipedia.orgWEB
    Outlook.com

    TIER B

11. 11 · arstechnica.comWEB
    How Hotmail changed Microsoft (and email) forever - Ars Technica

    TIER B

12. 12 · lorrainemusicacademy.comWEB
    The Investment Opportunity and ROI Journey of Hotmail

    TIER B

13. 13 · anyleads.comACADEMIC
    Who owns Hotmail Gmail?

    TIER A

14. 14 · financhill.comWEB
    How Much Was Hotmail Sold For?

    TIER B