Best Buy for Business Buys DSL/VOIP Provider Speakeasy

Speakeasy, the great DSL provider I’ve been with for 4 years just announced they’re being acquired for $97 million by Best Buy (press release) a company I feel lukewarm towards.

“I am pleased to announce that Speakeasy has been acquired by Best Buy… our new relationship will help us realize our goals of becoming the No. 1 provider of voice and data solutions to small businesses….Speakeasy will now be a wholly owned subsidiary of Best Buy…continue to operate as a standalone, independent operating division with headquarters in Seattle.” - Bruce Chatterley, President & CEO, Speakeasy, Inc.

I’m cautiously intrigued with the changes at Best Buy: the end of strict office hours, their quest for action figures, and their quest for an information architect team manager, and now buying a company I really love, all speak to a very cool place. Then there’s this: “Best Buy has confirmed the existence of a second ’secret’ website that looks identical to BestBuy.com, but has different prices and is only available inside Best Buy stores.”

I’ll update this post as other statement on the acquisition roll in.

ELSEWHERE:
Glenn Fleishman feels similarly:

“I’m still having palpitations, but we’ll see where the business goes. I liked my mom and pop ISP, the only national firm I know of that still retained that feeling. I’m nervous about their new corporate overlords.”