As to the emotions, selling your company is like giving your child up for adoption; it's inherently agonizing and generally an awful feeling. Both times I've been involved in serious discussions to sell a company I (co)founded, I became physically ill from the stress.

But one strong argument in favor of Google as an acquirer for us was that our corporate culture at ITA Software was very similar to what we understood the culture at Google to be. And, indeed, the integration has gone well enough that very few ITA folks have left due to poor cultural fit, boredom, etc.

If I'm ever in a position to consider Google as an acquirer again, I would certainly not hesitate to engage with them. They are very good at M&A, and I think it's one of their key success drivers now that they're so large.

Still, he became physically ill from the stress.

a nice expensive vacation might be a good cure for that illness...care to try it out?  i would. =p

I think his point is that we think it's going to be wonderful but then when we're in it, it's mostly stressful.

i guess I have a different approach, i think the stress ends when the company does...one way or another...