Microsoft swallows SwiftKey for $ 250 million

Today there were rumors of a $ 250 million takeover of SwiftKey by Microsoft, and the Redmond company subsequently confirmed this information. SwiftKey is currently one of the most popular alternative keyboards for iOS and Android, and for Windows Phone, Microsoft had its own Word Flow development. Earlier there were rumors about the possible release of this solution for iOS and Android, but after SwiftKey is absorbed, this is unlikely to happen in the coming months.

But behind SwiftKey absorption there is much more - the development team from the company will join Microsoft. Including those experts who developed an artificial intelligence on the basis of a neural network for automatic selection of words in SwiftKey for Android.
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“We like SwiftKey technology and we like the team that John and Ben formed. It seems to us that together we can achieve much more than separately, ”said Harry Schum, head of Microsoft Research.

Journalists from Business Insider made a compilation of the main reasons for SwiftKey absorption by Microsoft, which largely coincide with the above:

• Already the above-mentioned artificial intelligence, which analyzed more than 10 trillion keystrokes on the keyboard to predict words. Microsoft itself likewise focuses on the development of artificial intelligence within the Microsoft Research department;
• With the acquisition of SwiftKey, the company "absorbs" and 150 employees working on the creation of artificial intelligence;
• Improving the overall image of the company - now potential applicants may have an incentive to get into a separate Microsoft team to develop completely new projects. In recent years, Microsoft has swallowed up several startups from different areas, which also demonstrated Microsoft’s interest in hiring prospective employees.

Taking into account the achievements of Microsoft, as well as the record for typing speed on a mobile keyboard using Word Flow, in the near future a completely new solution in terms of speed and user experience for users may appear.