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Yes they could. It's always possible that another company could somehow do search or social networking better than Google and Facebook, find a really clever way
by CM30 10y ago
Yes they could. It's always possible that another company could somehow do search or social networking better than Google and Facebook, find a really clever way of marketing their services and catch on before the former has any chance to catch up.
It'd help if either got much worse at their core business (since that tends to be what dooms a lot of companies nowadays), but even a strong Google could have a competitor that simply offers people a much better and more user friendly service.
But more likely is that they don't die to direct competitors. They die because they become irrelevant. Their 'true' competitor isn't another social network or search engine, it's something that completely replaces the need to have a social network or search engine.
For example, if a company came along and figured out a way to give people results based on what they were thinking about without any direct input required, that could make Google's typical search box and results page and ads completely useless. They'd be like a horse salesman after cars were invented. Same with Facebook.
- asher_ 10y agoI agree that it's possible, but I think the last point in your argument actually makes Google harder to displace than easier. If someone came out with a better web search engine than Google right now, I probably wouldn't switch. This is because Google search is so integrated with other services that they understand intent way better, and you can perform searches with far less input that you would have to give otherwise. For example, doing a search for "my flights" or similar does not only search the web, but also my gmail account, matches upcoming flights with data, and returns what is relevant to me. Similar arguments can be made based on phone data (locations, activity) and integration with products like Maps, Calendar etc. Google Now and On Tap are great examples of features and functions that cannot be trivially replaced by a better search algorithm.
- meric 10y agoI think he meant something really advanced like an ear piece that can directly connect your mind to the Internet. One wouldn't even need to look at a browser for search results. Think of a programming question, and you get the answer without doing any reading.
- rms_returns 10y agoIf thinking about a programming question, just landed me on a StackOverflow page, even that would be miles ahead of Google search's offering!
- CM30 10y agoThat's exactly it. And if something like this happens, Google's ad model is pretty much toast. That would be bad news for them in general.
- wallace_f 10y agoI don't want to think about such a future... One also wouldn't need to commit any crimes to summon the attention law enforcement, either. Perhaps it will be more automated though--the earpiece could double as Harrison-Bergeron-type equipment, rendering you miserable and meek if you step--no think--out of line.
- spyder 10y agoThe other important thing for a real competitor besides a better product is to resist the money that Google can offer to buy them.