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Yikes Google Yelp Deal Reportedly Off

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by Matt Haber
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Dec 21 2009 11:18am EDT

Yikes! Google-Yelp Deal Reportedly Off

Looks like Google's $500 million play to buy Yelp isn't such a done deal after all. Various sites, including TechCrunch, Search Engine Land, and a scrappy comer called the New York Times are reporting that Yelp's founders, Jeremy Stoppelman and Russel Simmons, have walked away from Google's offer, which may have been closer to $550 million "plus earn-outs," according to TechCrunch's Michael Arrington.

There's no reason for deal break at the moment, but TechCrunch is speculating that Yelp may have been approached by another company with an offer of "a strategic deal."

Last week, when the tentative deal with Google was announced, Gawker's Ryan Tate dredged up some unpleasant stories about Yelp's operations, including furious local business owners and "raging, drunken, fleshy user parties."

Looks like Google won't be invited to any of those parties anytime soon.

Matt Haber is the media blogger for Portfolio.com.

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