Microsoft, Amazon, Yahoo and other tech giants looking to court Cyanogen Inc [RUMOR]
After gaining $22 million in series B funding last year, Cyanogen Inc’s first foray into the mobile arena was a little bumpy to say the least. Not so much because the new software company failed to live up to any expectations on their end, mind you (CyanogenMod 11S is some pretty amazing custom Android software). It had more to do with oddball devices like the Oppo N1 and constant barrage of bad press OnePlus received time and time again with the OnePlus One.
But even with that small hiccup, it seems Cyanogen Inc’s image hasn’t been tarnished as a new report suggests some pretty big names in tech are eyeballing the software startup. If you’re wondering what’s next for everyone’s favorite Android success story, The Information is now reporting that Amazon, Microsoft, Samsung, and Yahoo are just a few of the companies looking to partner up with Cyanogen Inc. Well, that, or acquire them altogether. While nothing is set in stone just yet, it’s being said Cyanogen Inc has already had a sit down chat with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella while Steve Kondik and crew prepare for their series C round of funding later this year.
We should warn, we’ve seen reports out of The Information quickly shot down in the past, so take this all with a grain of salt for now. It’s still unclear exactly what kind of work Cyanogen Inc — who built their house working exclusively with Android software — would do for some of these other companies, but it appears CyanogenMod could be a way for Google’s rivals to circumvent Android software that relies so heavily on their apps and services. With countless AOSP apps moving over to exclusive Google properties, there’s not much left to harvest and we’re already shuddering at the thought of a Yahoo Phone.