Network World Dings Google a Decade Too Late
June 12, 2009
I think it is admirable that pundits, mavens, real journalists, and analysts are now focusing their attention on Google, whom I affectionately call Googzilla. My recollection is that Google emerged from BackRub about 11 years ago. The Google was on a role from the moment its initial public offering came out of the gates in 2004. That IPO took place after the Google settled a legal squabble with its neighbor Yahoo. The settlement cost more than most search companies generate in a lifetime of spreadsheet jockeying.
Now the Google is somehow different. I don’t think so. I think those who have been asleep at the switch have been hit over the head with Google’s earning power, its technology, and its ability to surround and seep into many business sectors. This did not happen overnight, gentle reader. Google has matured.
One interesting and well reasoned article appeared today (June 11, 2009) in Network World. You must read David Coursey’s “Google Antiturst Case Misses the Point” here. Network World, like some of the London newspapers, has been taking a somewhat sharp approach to its coverage of the Google in my opinion.
Mr. Coursey wrote:
Antitrust regulators will look at this merely as a business issue–is Google too big for the good of the marketplace. What they really should be asking is whether Google is gaining too much control of another marketplace–that of ideas.
His argument is that Google is the big dog in the idea business. Mr. Coursey dodges the “m” word but it drapes is polysyllabic fabric over the write up.
My thoughts:
- Too late, folks. The Google has momentum, and it disruptive force is amplifying as its various initiatives intersect. Remember how this happens from physics? If not, check it out here and its sister, the cross field amplifier. Cross field just like multiple business sectors being disrupted in my way of envisioning Google’s market methods.
- Competition must resort to the courts. Sad to say but legal eagles may spoil Google’s parade. The problem is that legal methods take time and the competition has to nail its case before the cash runs out.
- Google is morphing. If I hear the SEO crowd tell me that Google is an ad company one more time, I may have a minor stroke. The Google was an ad company. Its new initiatives open new revenue doors. Those new opportunities don’t preclude ads; they supplement ad revenue. If that revenue comes from its competitors’ best customers, then what? See item 2 above for the cash crunch that could derail the legal challenges.
Stay tuned. UFC 2010 is coming. The regulatory battles are the undercard in my opinion.
Stephen Arnold, June 11, 2009
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2 Responses to “Network World Dings Google a Decade Too Late”
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nice blog
Anil,
A happy honk to you. Maybe a quack even?
Stephen Arnold, June 12, 2009