1099Google going to the wayside….?

posted by Chris on July 22nd, 2007

Leaving the beach today, someone suggested that we go to the nearest Tropical Smoothie to wind down, so I said I’d ‘google’ the address of the closest one. Somewhere in the conversation following that, my friend said something about how he really thinks that google is going to end up being a big flop. He started talking about how Google is buying up all kinds of start-ups in all types of industries, much like Microsoft does. Microsoft is constantly walking a fine line between oligopoly and monopoly; facing lawsuits all around the world is something that keeps the companies in check, but also doesn’t bode well theirfor reputation.

So I know that Google is involved in all kinds of industries, probably with the eventual goal of monetizing almost every sort of way they can. I bet in ten years the atoms in the water I’m going to chug down will be scribed with some sort of context ads that tell my body that I want something. Either way, a lot of what Google is doing is stuff that no one really hears about apart from their search endeavors. Here’s a breakdown of their current industry involvements (as shown in the SF Chronicle in 2006):

Market share, Industry ranking

Search: 49.1 percent, No. 1

Shopping: 12.6 percent, No. 7

E-mail: 8.7 percent, No. 4

Maps: 7.5 percent, No. 3

Entertainment (video): 3.3 percent, No. 7

Instant messaging: 1.1 percent, No. 8

Finance: Too low to measure

Source: Nielsen/NetRatings (May)/Hitwise (July 1); U.S. only

Google has a history or innovative methods, but now they’re actually paying other people to supply them with innovation. If you want $100,000 you better get your programming gear on and start writing the next blockbuster Google gadget so you can whore yourself to ‘the man’. If that’s the way you see it, then fine. If you want to do it because $100,000 sure beats the $45,000 you were making as a VB.net programmer in your mom’s basement, use the money to get your own place please.

Google has a lot of great things going for them, I just hope they don’t start becoming so intrusive and ad-ware-like.