Google Engineers Abandon Facebook
April 26, 2010
Interesting story about Google engineers abandoning their Facebook account: “Google Engineering Gaggle Flees Facebook.” Most people are not aware of the type of information an analysis of relationship data can yield. You can see one type of output by navigating to www.cluuz.com and entering a query for “Eric Schmidt”. With a few clicks you can see a relationship map that connects Mr. Schmidt to Jimmy Kimmel as well as Braeburn Capital. Imagine the fine grained information that could be generated by applying similar technology to the Facebook data. I think that Googlers want to be off the Facebook grid for another reason. Google is taking steps to marginalize Facebook. First, Googlers abandon ship. Then Google downplays Facebook and its Microsoft centric services.
One part of the problem is that Facebook seems to have become the next Google. Google’s math club responses may not be enough. Even with Orkut, Buzz, Wave, and Google’s other technologies, Google seems to be struggling to find an answer to the Facebook challenge. Can Google buy Facebook? Too late? Too expensive? Can Google leap frog Facebook? With each passing day, Google seems to be less agile in the social space. Are there opportunities in social search? Yes, but I don’t see Google delivering a service that will change my present social search behavior. The balance of 2010 will be an interesting series of skirmishes between these two firms in my opinion.
Stephen E Arnold, April 26, 2010
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