Facebook Acqui-Hires Mac and iOS Developer Acrylic Software

Facebook just acquired Acrylic Software, a Vancouver, CA-based startup that developed two paid desktop and mobile apps: Pulp, a personalized newspaper app for Mac ($9.99) and iPad, and Wallet, an app that lets you “sync, store and secure your digital life” for Mac and iOS. Both of these apps got a good amount of press when they launched, but for the most part, the company has flown under the radar. Acrylic Software’s founder Dustin MacDonald says that Facebook did not acquire the company’s apps though and that Wallet and Pulp “will continue to remain available for download and purchase in their current form.” The team will move to San Francisco.

This announcement comes just a week after Facebook also acquired read-it-later service Spool. It’s not clear what exactly the Acrylic team will focus on at Facebook, but chances are the team will work on mobile-related products – an area where Facebook could indeed use some help. With Wallet, Acrylic has a background in encryption and mobile security, though Pulp’s focus on making online content easily readable on iOS and the Mac is probably a more natural fit for Facebook.

Here is the full announcement:

I’m happy to announce today that we’ve packed up our small Vancouver studio and will be making the move to San Francisco in the coming weeks to join the design team at Facebook.

For the past four years, we’ve worked tirelessly on creating truly awesome products with a focus on innovation and great design, and I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve been able to accomplish during that time. Our flagship apps, Wallet and Pulp, have been used and loved by hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Building these products has been a fun and exciting ride, but the time has come to move on to newer and bigger challenges.

Facebook is an invaluable service that we all use daily, and a company I believe is one of the most innovative and important around today. After visiting late last year, I discovered that we shared many of the same core product design goals and principles, and it soon became obvious that it was a natural fit. Simply put, there’s an opportunity at Facebook to have a big impact in many people’s lives. More importantly, Facebook is full of extremely talented people who will be able to help realize its full potential in the years to come.

Our products and services have not been acquired by Facebook, and while there are no plans for further development on them, Wallet and Pulp will continue to remain available for download and purchase in their current form. We’ll certainly be the first to let you know of any updates or changes here in the future.

A special thanks to all of our customers and supporters who have helped us grow and build the best products possible throughout the last four years. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.

Dustin MacDonald
Acrylic Software