Google Cuts Endeca from the Search Herd
December 4, 2009
I saw Dan Tunkelang’s post in the Noisy Channel on November 6, 2009, about his leaving Endeca. Keep in mind that Dan Tunkelang was the firm’s chief technology officer and a critic of Google.
This is my last week at Endeca. The decision to leave has been a heart-wrenching one: not only have the past ten years been the best of my life, but my experiences at Endeca have defined me professionally. Moreover, Endeca is riding a wave of success with recent advances in our products, new relationships with key partners, and fascinating new deployments
The comments in Fierce Content Management in “Daniel Tunkelang Leaving Endeca for Google” seemed to lack context; for example:
It was more than a bit surprising to me that [Dan] Tunkelang would be moving to the consumer side of search, given his background, but it sounds like it was an opportunity that was too good to let pass. I’m sure Endeca is sad to see someone with his level of understanding of its products leave the company.
Read more: http://www.fiercecontentmanagement.com/story/danel-tunkelang-leaving-endeca-google/2009-11-11#ixzz0Yc34unSH
When I saw Endeca’s search evangelist on Tuesday, December 1, 2009, I sat quietly and let the Endeca professional lead the conversation. No comment about Dan Tunkelang, so I assumed that the company did not consider the departure material.
Yesterday I had a conversation with a search vendor who asked me what I thought. I replied that the Google is where the action is and anyone wanting to keep the search career chugging along would be crazy to ignore Googzilla’s blandishments.
i think there are several angles that I want to watch in the weeks and months ahead:
First, the Google is into commerce search and Dan Tunkelang knows about the use of search and facets in helping merchants make sales. I wonder if there is a connection between Endeca’s success in ecommerce and Dan Tunkelang’s joining the Google. Maybe it is a coincidence?
Second, Endeca without Dan Tunkelang is a bit like a wagon without a wheel. With care, the wagon works reasonably well. Get the load off balance and the wagon tips over. Is Endeca now vulnerable in a way that it has not been since its founding?
Third, where is Endeca going to go? The company’s push for partners and its shifting of security functions to some of the partners who provide such features and content connectors is interesting to me. The information I have is inconclusive, but unless Endeca can respond to some of the challenges that I see surfacing from a number of interesting companies such as Exalead to name just one example, I ask, “Can Endeca get on the growth track and generate the sort of revenues that make companies like the much loved Autonomy the talk of the investment crowd?
My thought this morning is that Google may be using surgical precision to isolate certain vendors from their core capabilities. Once isolated like a lion’s prey in the wild, then it is a matter of time. Am I seeing an example of a “cutting off from the herd” tactic?
Stephen Arnold, December 3, 2009
Important disclaimer: I want to alert the Fish & Wildlife Department that I was not paid to write about the behavior of predators in such countries as South Africa. A freebie for sure.
Comments
4 Responses to “Google Cuts Endeca from the Search Herd”
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
News of my death has been greatly exaggerated. I am the CTO at Endeca and have been for the past 5 years. I have been with Endeca since its founding 10 years ago, serving as Chief Software Architect before taking over as CTO. Daniel was a member of my team in the role of Chief Scientist.
Our R&D leadership has been remarkably stable over the years. For example, our SVP of engineering, Keith Johnson, has been with us for 10 years, with 6 years in that role, while our SVP of product management, Jason Purcell, has been with us for 8 years. Two more VPs of engineering have been with us for 10 and 8 years. The R&D group that we lead is now the largest it has ever been and is growing. Pound for pound, I’d put the Endeca team up against the best in the world. It was sad to see Daniel move on to take on new challenges. But although I don’t blog about it, I’m confident that our innovation engine is running ahead at full steam.
Stephen, I’m flattered by the attention. 🙂 But, as valuable as I’d like to think I have been to Endeca’s success, I know that Endeca will continue thriving without me. I may have been one of Endeca’s most publicly visible employees, but it is engineering leaders like Adam, Keith, and Jason who have been doing the heavy lifting of product development. Endeca is a powerhouse of innovation, and I expect great things from the folks I was lucky to work with for so many years.
[…] First, Google jumped into eCommerce search, hired Endeca’s chief technology officer, and made it clear that it wanted to suck in some cash from this lucrative sector of the information retrieval market. I know that most of this eCommerce excitement happened over a period of weeks, but the significance of this tactical move is significant. Endeca which has been working through its cash injections from Intel and SAP now has a real fight on its hands. The company has an RV full of bright MBAs, and it will need these folks to convert a Google thrust into new revenue. Fun holiday and New Year’s Day ahead for the Endeca folks. My “cutting Endeca from the herd” story evoked a gust of push back when I voiced my opinion. I stand by my argument in “Google Cuts Endeca from the Search Herd”. […]
Adam, the problem is you had to use a comment to explain your position. Reason? As Daniel pointed out himself, he was the publicly most visible person! As soon as Endeca endorsed a personal blog to be (at least quasi) official, he was the spokesperson of Endeca (including technology, R&D).
No wonder the public perception is like Stephen pointed out.
I’ve seen the same mistake at my local TV-Station: The chief meteorologist subsequently pointed to his personal blog&twitter to stay up-to-date with weather situations. A couple of month later he left (from Miami to Seattle that is), taking these communication channels with him, creating a digital void for the station.
You may point out that Endeca’s official blog is blog.endeca.com
But this address is not working anymore – more confusion.