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In 1999, Zip2 was sold to Compaq for $300 million in cash—a staggering amount at the time. The brothers experienced a mix of exhilaration and melancholy; while they celebrated the substantial sale, they couldn't help but feel they had left money on the table when Compaq later merged Zip2 with another company, Alavista, which was bought six months afterward by Yahoo for a valuation significantly higher than their sale price.
Investing in the Future
With the cash from the sale, their next steps were critical. The brothers had an opportunity to invest and explore the burgeoning tech landscape. They wisely directed their investments towards companies like PayPal and Tesla, which would later prove to be lucrative choices.