Class A Dig: Character.AI Google $2.7B was talent+licence — not company ACQ; company still independent

Class A false company-ACQ Dig (Pass A5). Dealroom incorrectly encoded Google’s Aug 2024 ~$2.7B arrangement as an ACQUISITION round (funding_id 970322 : amount $2,700 / valuation $2,700 , buyer Alphabet | Google).

Primary / contemporaneous record: Google did not acquire Character.AI. Per Reuters / The Verge / The Information: Google hired co-founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas (and other researchers) and took a non-exclusive licence to Character.AI models — company remained independent. Dealroom Research note “Google Acquires Character.AI Cofounders” already framed cofounder hire + licence; interim CEO Dominic Perella then permanent CEO Karandeep Anand (Jun 2025, TechCrunch). Company site live; employees 201–500; HQ Menlo Park — still independent .

Action: Deleted false Google ACQ round 970322 (import_mode=delete, status 204). Series US$97.1 / val $1,000 (Mar 2023) retained. Do not re-encode the Google talent+licence as a company ACQUISITION without a primary company-sale close.

Sources: Reuters 2 Aug 2024; The Verge 2 Aug 2024; TechCrunch 20 Jun 2025 (CEO).