San Francisco - AFP
Career-focused social network LinkedIn is buying the news reading app-maker Pulse in a deal valued at between $50 million and $100 million, according to technology website All Things Digital. LinkedIn would not comment on what it referred to as "rumor or speculation." Pulse was founded in early 2010 by then Stanford University graduate students Akshay Kothari and Ankit Gupta after a "to revolutionize the mobile news reading experience," according to a message at the startup's website. Pulse applications for Apple and Android powered smartphones or tablets were designed a "fast, fun and beautiful way to read your favorite blogs, magazines and newspapers." The startup claims more than 20 million Pulse app users and said it is adding more than two million users monthly.