Apple has acquired cloud networking startup Union Bay Networks, according to The Seattle Times. The company focused on “enabling the next generation of networking for cloud computing and software defined datacenters,” and seven out of nine of its former employees are said to have been hired by the Cupertino firm.
Of course, Apple hasn’t officially commented on the acquisition, but it seemingly confirmed the purchase earlier today by providing The Seattle Times its boiler plate public relations response of “Apple sometimes buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”
What did Apple want with Union Bay Networks? In a job listing, which has since been removed, co-founder Benn Bollay “looking for talented multidisciplinary engineers to design and develop the core infrastructure services and environments driving every online customer experience at Apple ranging from iCloud to iTunes.”
Following the acquisition, Apple setup an office in Seattle which is now home to more than 30 engineers. It joins a number of other Silicon Valley companies who have moved into Microsoft’s territory with hopes of attracting the area’s software talent, including Google, which has offices in Fremont, a small Seattle subdivision.