Yahoo has announced that it has acquired Summly, a London-based Apple smartphone app that lets users easily skim through news and articles on their mobile devices, for $30 million. The purchase is not that shocking except when you discover the founder, Nick D’Aloisio, is just 17-years old.
D’Aloisio founded Summly in 2011, at age 15. The app sums up news articles in 400 characters, making it a breeze for users to scan for information, and then access the full article if desired.
D’Aloisio will join Yahoo full-time along with two other Summly employees.
The purchase continues Yahoo’s move into the mobile world by Yahoo, as they have bought several mobile start ups since new chief executive Marissa Mayer was brought on board last summer.
Insiders speculate that Yahoo will use the articulate D’Aloisio as a front person for their push into the mobile market.