4 ms·

Google dominated non-SMS chat in the late 2000s/early 2010s. I don't think they realized how insanely valuable that was - they were basically sitting on the fut

by rm999 8y ago

Google dominated non-SMS chat in the late 2000s/early 2010s. I don't think they realized how insanely valuable that was - they were basically sitting on the future of communication. All they had to do was sit back and let network effects build their monopoly (with some more tech build-out and straightforward marketing in international markets). Instead, they myopically saw Facebook as a threat and started one of the most user-hostile rampages I've been victim to. They hobbled existing products and over-complicated new products to force people onto a platform no one asked for. Facebook (and others) used this opportunity to grab communication away from Google. It's all an interesting business case study of missing the forest for the trees.

pixelpp 8y ago
Interesting! I never looked at it that way...
bearcobra 8y ago
Google dominated non-SMS chat in the late 2000s/early 2010s My social group was dominated by BBM & Skype until iMessage & Facebook Messenger took over. I've always assumed Google's efforts around messaging were because they had a niche product inside Gmail that they wanted to make more consumer friendly, hence the constant attempts to rebrand it.
sunstone 8y ago
Sometimes doing nothing is the best strategy but it's hard to get promoted that way.
- wetpaws 8y ago
  Totally agree. This is something a lot of people miss. IT culture in general and Google especially puts too much pressure on engineers to re-invent the wheel to get better visibility and promotions.
  - nevir 8y ago
    When the primary thing you're evaluated for is "impact", it's a wonder that Googlers bother to maintain any existing products at all. (Plenty do out of love for the product/customers/etc, but man it's soul crushing to not be recognized for it)
    - rhizome 8y ago
      it's a wonder that Googlers bother to maintain any existing products at all. My understanding is that not everybody there knows where the corporate ladders are. If you don't (yet) know the terms of promotion at the GOOG, you'll be happy to knock out bugs and tweaks day in and day out. You're a Googler!
      - oh_sigh 8y ago
        The ladders and breakdown of what is required at each position are well known and talked about frequently, especially around performance review time. If you're a googler and don't know what's on your ladder you aren't paying attention
        rhizome 8y ago
        So everybody onboards with the knowledge that launching new stuff is the only way to get promoted? Because that's Google's engineering reputation out here on the street.
        18pfsmt 8y ago
        I don't have any Google experience, but from what I've gathered over the years, there are always unwritten rules. Not everyone follows the spec. Often times, the spec even seems intentionally incomplete in retrospect.
        balladeer 8y ago
        There are almost always unwritten rules; everywhere. For example everyone says value "work life balance is balanced here and encouraged". But irrespective of whether they actually do it or not - if the two people output around the same ballpark but one is visible as more serious/responsible and seems more invested usually by virtue of more hours at work that becomes more "visible" than the "casual" 7-8 hr person with the same output.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
balladeer 8y ago
In India WhatsApp, now, is not a gold standard of online communication but it is pretty much the only mode of communication largely. I don't about other places, but at least here - people are not going to Google new "Chat" or Hangout anytime soon. Even Facebook chat is slowly losing out to WhatsApp and I don't think Facebook minds it. In fact they saw it coming and bought the app for that record price. The reason I jumped out of Google ecosystem is, as you have mentioned, they forced me into closed ecosystems and I remained there for sometime but then the tools offered to me in the form of app, UI, and interfaces were beyond pathetic so I was out. So were my friends, family, relatives, and other acquaintances. Orkut > Buzz > Wave > Chat > etc they did it one after another and they are still doing it. I mean you would think they would learn at some point.
- shadesofgrey 8y ago
  Dont worry, its the Americans who live in a bubble. I live in one of the wealthiest and advanced countries in the world. Ask a 12 year old girl what SMS is and she will not know. She will know WhatsApp.

by rm999 8y ago

pixelpp 8y ago

Interesting! I never looked at it that way...

bearcobra 8y ago

Google dominated non-SMS chat in the late 2000s/early 2010s My social group was dominated by BBM & Skype until iMessage & Facebook Messenger took over. I've always assumed Google's efforts around messaging were because they had a niche product inside Gmail that they wanted to make more consumer friendly, hence the constant attempts to rebrand it.

sunstone 8y ago

Sometimes doing nothing is the best strategy but it's hard to get promoted that way.

wetpaws 8y ago
Totally agree. This is something a lot of people miss. IT culture in general and Google especially puts too much pressure on engineers to re-invent the wheel to get better visibility and promotions.
- nevir 8y ago
  When the primary thing you're evaluated for is "impact", it's a wonder that Googlers bother to maintain any existing products at all. (Plenty do out of love for the product/customers/etc, but man it's soul crushing to not be recognized for it)
  - rhizome 8y ago
    it's a wonder that Googlers bother to maintain any existing products at all. My understanding is that not everybody there knows where the corporate ladders are. If you don't (yet) know the terms of promotion at the GOOG, you'll be happy to knock out bugs and tweaks day in and day out. You're a Googler!
    - oh_sigh 8y ago
      The ladders and breakdown of what is required at each position are well known and talked about frequently, especially around performance review time. If you're a googler and don't know what's on your ladder you aren't paying attention
      - rhizome 8y ago
        So everybody onboards with the knowledge that launching new stuff is the only way to get promoted? Because that's Google's engineering reputation out here on the street.
      - 18pfsmt 8y ago
        I don't have any Google experience, but from what I've gathered over the years, there are always unwritten rules. Not everyone follows the spec. Often times, the spec even seems intentionally incomplete in retrospect.
        balladeer 8y ago
        There are almost always unwritten rules; everywhere. For example everyone says value "work life balance is balanced here and encouraged". But irrespective of whether they actually do it or not - if the two people output around the same ballpark but one is visible as more serious/responsible and seems more invested usually by virtue of more hours at work that becomes more "visible" than the "casual" 7-8 hr person with the same output.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

balladeer 8y ago

In India WhatsApp, now, is not a gold standard of online communication but it is pretty much the only mode of communication largely. I don't about other places, but at least here - people are not going to Google new "Chat" or Hangout anytime soon. Even Facebook chat is slowly losing out to WhatsApp and I don't think Facebook minds it. In fact they saw it coming and bought the app for that record price. The reason I jumped out of Google ecosystem is, as you have mentioned, they forced me into closed ecosystems and I remained there for sometime but then the tools offered to me in the form of app, UI, and interfaces were beyond pathetic so I was out. So were my friends, family, relatives, and other acquaintances. Orkut > Buzz > Wave > Chat > etc they did it one after another and they are still doing it. I mean you would think they would learn at some point.

shadesofgrey 8y ago
Dont worry, its the Americans who live in a bubble. I live in one of the wealthiest and advanced countries in the world. Ask a 12 year old girl what SMS is and she will not know. She will know WhatsApp.