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This is going to make it hard for direct product competitors to do business with Google now IMO. Before it was made very clear that the two groups were VERY sep

This is going to make it hard for direct product competitors to do business with Google now IMO. Before it was made very clear that the two groups were VERY separate within Alphabet. So as a competitor (say a camera maker) you could feel somewhat OK partnering with Google Home integrations because there were legal protections that data, roadmaps, confidential info wouldn't be shared. Now they're literally the same person, according to this. Ouch.

xyzzy_plugh 9y ago
But they never were separate, right? Nest employees had Google badges and had offices in Google buildings and ate lunch next to Googlers. This just smells like politics.
- notatoad 9y ago
  >Nest employees had Google badges and had offices in Google buildings and ate lunch next to Googlers. did they? i thought nest was an alphabet subsidiary, and operated as an independent company to Google.
  - xyzzy_plugh 9y ago
    Nest was a Google subsidiary before Alphabet was formed. Across the street from their offices are Google offices. I've talked to Nest employees about their use of Google infrastructure, in a Google office. It didn't seem like there was any more separation than you'd expect of the Android and chromecast groups, for example.
- pinewurst 9y ago
  Maybe it was changed recently, but they were very much kept apart from Google during the Fadell era - physically and to the degree of even having lesser benefits.
- supergeek133 9y ago
  Politics still matters, from a legal data sharing perspective. For instance, let's say I integrate a thermostat/camera/x device with Google Home/Assisstant. Based on # of users who connect devices and use the integration I could get some idea of user base/popularity/sales rate. "On paper" there is separation between the two companies, and the agreement between Google and Thermostat Company A might say "data is not shared with any other entity within Alphabet". Now that agreement is potentially null, since they might be the same thing now. Or even things like "we're going to release a new product and want to integrate it with Google Home in advance, etc, etc".
- bagacrap 9y ago
  Don't forget, the employees also had an easy time transferring between the companies. This "change" is just aligning the business structure with reality, not modifying reality.

xyzzy_plugh 9y ago

But they never were separate, right? Nest employees had Google badges and had offices in Google buildings and ate lunch next to Googlers. This just smells like politics.

notatoad 9y ago
>Nest employees had Google badges and had offices in Google buildings and ate lunch next to Googlers. did they? i thought nest was an alphabet subsidiary, and operated as an independent company to Google.
- xyzzy_plugh 9y ago
  Nest was a Google subsidiary before Alphabet was formed. Across the street from their offices are Google offices. I've talked to Nest employees about their use of Google infrastructure, in a Google office. It didn't seem like there was any more separation than you'd expect of the Android and chromecast groups, for example.
pinewurst 9y ago
Maybe it was changed recently, but they were very much kept apart from Google during the Fadell era - physically and to the degree of even having lesser benefits.
supergeek133 9y ago
Politics still matters, from a legal data sharing perspective. For instance, let's say I integrate a thermostat/camera/x device with Google Home/Assisstant. Based on # of users who connect devices and use the integration I could get some idea of user base/popularity/sales rate. "On paper" there is separation between the two companies, and the agreement between Google and Thermostat Company A might say "data is not shared with any other entity within Alphabet". Now that agreement is potentially null, since they might be the same thing now. Or even things like "we're going to release a new product and want to integrate it with Google Home in advance, etc, etc".
bagacrap 9y ago
Don't forget, the employees also had an easy time transferring between the companies. This "change" is just aligning the business structure with reality, not modifying reality.