Groupon Walks Away from $6 Billion Google Buyout

The Huffington Post reports that Google Inc.'s attempt to buy local-coupon site Groupon Inc. appears to have failed for now, according to published reports.

 

Groupon, whose ties to local merchants and some 35 million subscribers worldwide made it a company worth potentially $5 billion to $6 billion to Google, has decided to stay independent for now, according to the Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, which cited unnamed sources close to the negotiations. The reports say Groupon may pursue an initial public offering of stock.