A Google spokesman tells us that Like.com’s employees will work with Google’s commerce team. In the “near-term,” he says, the Like.com websites will operate separately. “We’re excited about the technology they’ve built and the domain expertise they’ll bring to Google as we continue to work on building great e-commerce experiences for our users, advertisers and partners,” he says.

SEE ALSO: Like.com Closes $32 Million Third Round; Got In Before The Bust

Like.com had raised more than $50 million in funding since it was founded, including most recently a $32 million round in October 2008. TechCrunch, which first reported that the deal was imminent, put the price at $100 million.

There had been rumors that Google was interested in buying the company for years; indeed, in November 2005, Google reportedly agreed to buy Riya for $40 million, although it later pulled out of the deal for unknown reasons.