Via Bloomberg:
Google wants to sell the unit within Motorola Mobility that sells set-top boxes and other equipment to cable television providers and has hired Barclays to seek buyers, according to two people familiar with the situation.
Google, based in Mountain View, California, is shifting Motorola’s focus toward high-end smartphones as it competes with Apple. This month Google announced it would cut 4,000 Motorola staff and close about a third of its 90 facilities as part of a plan to restore the hardware firm’s leadership in the mobile market. Google completed the $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility in May in its biggest takeover.
Is Google stupid? The set-top box is the actual route to control the living room, by partnering with cable, satellite, and telcos. Selling the one part of Motorola accustomed to dealing with all those partners is unbelievably short-sighted.
