Google didn't buy YouTube because they didn't want to build YouTube, they bought it because everybody was on it and they couldn't gain traction with G Video. Same with Microsoft and Skype. Same with most acquisitions, including Draw Something.
Big companies clone each others IP all the time. What do you think Bing, Android and Google+ are? They are just clones of other peoples IP...
Zynga isn't buying this for the IP, nor is the IP itself what is truly valuable. They are buying it for the traction. When some small game company builds a tiny game that never takes off in any meaningful way and Zynga clones it and instantly creates something 10000x more popular than the original ever was, that is not the same thing. The smaller company had no userbase, community and traction to buy therefore they were not valuable to Zynga in the same way that Draw Something is.
Google didnt have a long history of already outright stealing others' work.
What you reference are not clones. They are services in the same space with utterly different UI/UX/features and an /attempt/ at differing value props.
ZYNGA MAKES EXACT CLONES - there is a difference. If you are not familiar with the topic, don't comment as though you're having some new profound insight.
I don't understand what people are missing about Zynga. I feel like I am talking to people who have about zero historical context of shit that has been happening in Silicon Valley.
Big companies clone each others IP all the time. What do you think Bing, Android and Google+ are? They are just clones of other peoples IP...
Zynga isn't buying this for the IP, nor is the IP itself what is truly valuable. They are buying it for the traction. When some small game company builds a tiny game that never takes off in any meaningful way and Zynga clones it and instantly creates something 10000x more popular than the original ever was, that is not the same thing. The smaller company had no userbase, community and traction to buy therefore they were not valuable to Zynga in the same way that Draw Something is.