Qihoo 360 Technology

Qihoo 360 Technology — software developer for cyber defense of computers, smartphones and tablets. The company positions itself the producer of antiviruses, largest in China: as of June, 2015 514 million owners of personal computers and 800 million owners of mobile devices monthly use products and Qihoo services.

2020: Detection of software of Qihoo 360 on all modern smartphones and Samsung tablets

On January 8, 2020 it became known that on all modern smartphones and tablets of Samsung company the spy software having communication with China was revealed. Corporate software of Samsung regularly contacts the servers located in the territory of the People's Republic of China and, perhaps, sends to them user data. The fact of sending data to the People's Republic of China for January 8, 2020 was not confirmed. It is reported that in firmwares of Samsung there is a software of the Chinese company Qihoo 360 which is built in Device Care – the corporate Samsung utility which is built in a cover of One UI which Samsung installs on the modern smartphones. Read more here.

2015: Sale of Qihoo 360 Technology for $9.3 billion

On December 18, 2015 it was announced sale of Qihoo 360 Technology to private investors for $9.3 billion taking into account a debt of the producer of antiviruses in $1.6 billion. Thus, the series of transactions within which the Chinese companies whose shares are traded at the American exchanges, are on sale for further placement in Celestial Empire proceeded.

According to the The Wall Street Journal edition, consortium of buyers headed by the chairman of the board of directors of Qihoo Hongyi Zhou will pay $77 for each American depositary share of the company that is 17% more than the market value of securities in June, 2015 when the offer to redeem Qihoo was announced. In September stocks of the company fell to a mark of $42.21.

The producer of antiviruses Qihoo 360 Technology, largest in China, is sold for $9.3 billion

In addition to mister Zhou, Sequoia Capital China, Citic Guoan and several other companies participate in acquisition of the developer of means of cyber defense. It is going execute all formalities concerning this purchase in the first half of 2016.

The redemption Qihoo private investors became in 2015 the most large deal with the main participation of the Chinese companies. In total such transactions there is 33 (without Qihoo), and their total cost — $40 billion (data of Thomson Reuters on the middle of November, 2015).

Essence of such transactions consist in the following: investors redeem the Chinese companies whose shares are placed at the exchanges in the USA, for the purpose of their further placement in China at higher prices. Depository actions simplify to foreign investors ownership of shares in the Chinese enterprises.^[1]

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