Stripe’s acquisition spree mirrors early Google strategy, with a crypto twist

Between 2003 and 2007, Google went on a buying binge that reshaped the internet. It grabbed DoubleClick and AdSense for advertising dominance, scooped up the technology behind Google Earth, and picked up two scrappy startups called Android and YouTube. That four-year stretch of dealmaking is a core reason Alphabet sits among the most powerful companies on Earth today. Stripe appears to be running the same playbook. Over the past two years, the payments company has assembled a portfolio of acquisitions that spans stablecoin infrastructure, AI token routing, and usage-based billing, all while flirting with a $53 billion bid for PayPal. The ambition is unmistakable: Stripe wants to own the economic plumbing for both traditional commerce and the emerging AI economy. The deal sheet The spree kicked off with Bridge, a stablecoin orchestration platform that Stripe acquired for $1.1 billion in February 2025. At the time, it was the company’s largest deal ever. Bridge gave Stripe the ability to move stablecoins across chains and currencies for enterprise clients, and the bet paid off quickly. Post-acquisition, Bridge’s volume quadrupled. Then came Metronome, a usage-based billing platform, ...