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Google has a long and successful history of acquisitions, as also a long history of lack of direction and headless actions even in their youth days. It's probab

Google has a long and successful history of acquisitions, as also a long history of lack of direction and headless actions even in their youth days. It's probably just natural for a company with too much money to invest that way.

nathanyukai 7y ago
But when a company becomes big, they do have to branch out and try a bit of different things right? otherwise they are just relying on a few income source, and potentially miss the opportunity of the next big hit?
windexh8er 7y ago
A long and success history of acquisitions doesn't mean Google has any advantage of taking a poorly performing acquisition (Fitbit) and stacking it into a failing division of theirs (Wear OS). Google would be better off starting over. But Google wants data and Fitbit comes with data for cheap, IMO.
- jsight 7y ago
  Alternatively, you could view this as a recognition that Wear OS has failed along with a plan to move to Fitbit as a software platform. If they can combine Fitbit's software and community with better hardware, they might actually have a good product here. Or they could just end up with Wear OS on worse hardware and a disaster.
- dyarosla 7y ago
  Fitbit also comes with users, brand recognition and goodwill.
  - OnlineGladiator 7y ago
    How valuable is the brand these days? It's certainly already declining, and many people consider their products inferior quality. I am currently wearing a fitbit and have already had to deal with it not working twice today, and it's not even noon.
    - dyarosla 7y ago
      Fitbit maintains #2 market share in fitness watches and has always been a non-premium quality, mid-to-low end entry wearable.
      - OnlineGladiator 7y ago
        Maybe it's because I'm not a marketing guy, but when has buying the less-than-best company at anything ever resulted in turning it around to earn more marketshare? Especially when that brand is already known for lower quality. If you buy the first loser, you're just paying more to lose. Also according to this Fitbit is #5 in terms of devices sold (which make them look much worse when you consider how cheap some of their products are), and they have been steadily declining for years. They went from 45% just 5 years ago to 6% this year. That is horrible. Unless Google has an ulterior motive, like primarily using FitBit as a source of data for targeted ads, this is a bad acquisition. https://www.statista.com/statistics/435944/quarterly-wearables-shipments-worldwide-market-share-by-vendor/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/435944/quarterly-wearabl...
pmlnr 7y ago
Please point at some of those successful Google acquisitions - the more I think about it the less I can point at anything apart from Android.
- hk__2 7y ago
  YouTube?
- 0xB31B1B 7y ago
  Double click, Youtube, waze...
- mswift42 7y ago
  Youtube
- slightwinder 7y ago
  Might be because the big names are from their first decade, and in the last decade they focussed more on integrating companies, or are still working on making aquisations a success. Google Maps and Earth started from an aquisation. Youtube was right out bought by them. Google Groups, Picassa, Blogger, Google Docs are more, though a bit less successfull.
scarface74 7y ago
What long and successful history? The only one that I can think of that was a definite success is Android. Their only notable hardware acquisitions that I can think of were Motorola which was a disaster, Nest which is barely muddling along, and the semi-acquisition of HTC’s hardware team that made the Pixel. While the Pixel may be a great phone, it isn’t taking the world by storm
- 0xB31B1B 7y ago
  Doubeclick, Youtube, Waze...
  - jsjohnst 7y ago
    One could argue they’ve almost ruined Waze since acquiring it.
    - jsight 7y ago
      I tend to agree, but it has also improved Google Maps, so maybe it is still a plus for the business overall?
      - jsjohnst 7y ago
        I agree Google Maps has improved, but I’m not convinced it was directly because of acquiring Waze. Waze UX has dropped so much since acquisition that its almost to the painful point. I also find it’s “user submitted” data (cops, construction, pot holes) has dropped a lot so I feel a lot of folks who were submitting quality data have either left or just stopped submitting as the UX has gotten so bad. Keyhole is another acquisition in the mapping space that I feel has degraded since being acquired by Google. I was a paying customer of Keyhole and loved it, since becoming free under Google, it’s basically stagnated and some of the features I used are now gone.
        jsight 7y ago
        > I agree Google Maps has improved, but I’m not convinced it was directly because of acquiring Waze. They often include Waze reported events in Google Maps now. That was the part that I was referring to. I'm not sure if Google Maps reported issues feed back into Waze as well, but I would expect them to.
machinecoffee 7y ago
As the owner of a Nest (pre-Google acquisition), I can only say that it's not been a positive experience for me. Condescending emails about how many 'leafs' I've earned every few months and forcing me to login to the device over Google instead of my Nest account is what I'm faced with now.
- ubercore 7y ago
  I purchased a first generation Nest, and I remember getting emails about leafs for as long as I've had it. I don't think that one is on Google
vineyardmike 7y ago
If a company has too much money to invest, give it back to investors and let them direct the money more efficiently.

nathanyukai 7y ago

But when a company becomes big, they do have to branch out and try a bit of different things right? otherwise they are just relying on a few income source, and potentially miss the opportunity of the next big hit?

windexh8er 7y ago

A long and success history of acquisitions doesn't mean Google has any advantage of taking a poorly performing acquisition (Fitbit) and stacking it into a failing division of theirs (Wear OS). Google would be better off starting over. But Google wants data and Fitbit comes with data for cheap, IMO.

jsight 7y ago
Alternatively, you could view this as a recognition that Wear OS has failed along with a plan to move to Fitbit as a software platform. If they can combine Fitbit's software and community with better hardware, they might actually have a good product here. Or they could just end up with Wear OS on worse hardware and a disaster.
dyarosla 7y ago
Fitbit also comes with users, brand recognition and goodwill.
- OnlineGladiator 7y ago
  How valuable is the brand these days? It's certainly already declining, and many people consider their products inferior quality. I am currently wearing a fitbit and have already had to deal with it not working twice today, and it's not even noon.
  - dyarosla 7y ago
    Fitbit maintains #2 market share in fitness watches and has always been a non-premium quality, mid-to-low end entry wearable.
    - OnlineGladiator 7y ago
      Maybe it's because I'm not a marketing guy, but when has buying the less-than-best company at anything ever resulted in turning it around to earn more marketshare? Especially when that brand is already known for lower quality. If you buy the first loser, you're just paying more to lose. Also according to this Fitbit is #5 in terms of devices sold (which make them look much worse when you consider how cheap some of their products are), and they have been steadily declining for years. They went from 45% just 5 years ago to 6% this year. That is horrible. Unless Google has an ulterior motive, like primarily using FitBit as a source of data for targeted ads, this is a bad acquisition. https://www.statista.com/statistics/435944/quarterly-wearables-shipments-worldwide-market-share-by-vendor/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/435944/quarterly-wearabl...

pmlnr 7y ago

Please point at some of those successful Google acquisitions - the more I think about it the less I can point at anything apart from Android.

hk__2 7y ago
YouTube?
0xB31B1B 7y ago
Double click, Youtube, waze...
mswift42 7y ago
Youtube
slightwinder 7y ago
Might be because the big names are from their first decade, and in the last decade they focussed more on integrating companies, or are still working on making aquisations a success. Google Maps and Earth started from an aquisation. Youtube was right out bought by them. Google Groups, Picassa, Blogger, Google Docs are more, though a bit less successfull.

scarface74 7y ago

What long and successful history? The only one that I can think of that was a definite success is Android. Their only notable hardware acquisitions that I can think of were Motorola which was a disaster, Nest which is barely muddling along, and the semi-acquisition of HTC’s hardware team that made the Pixel. While the Pixel may be a great phone, it isn’t taking the world by storm

0xB31B1B 7y ago
Doubeclick, Youtube, Waze...
- jsjohnst 7y ago
  One could argue they’ve almost ruined Waze since acquiring it.
  - jsight 7y ago
    I tend to agree, but it has also improved Google Maps, so maybe it is still a plus for the business overall?
    - jsjohnst 7y ago
      I agree Google Maps has improved, but I’m not convinced it was directly because of acquiring Waze. Waze UX has dropped so much since acquisition that its almost to the painful point. I also find it’s “user submitted” data (cops, construction, pot holes) has dropped a lot so I feel a lot of folks who were submitting quality data have either left or just stopped submitting as the UX has gotten so bad. Keyhole is another acquisition in the mapping space that I feel has degraded since being acquired by Google. I was a paying customer of Keyhole and loved it, since becoming free under Google, it’s basically stagnated and some of the features I used are now gone.
      - jsight 7y ago
        > I agree Google Maps has improved, but I’m not convinced it was directly because of acquiring Waze. They often include Waze reported events in Google Maps now. That was the part that I was referring to. I'm not sure if Google Maps reported issues feed back into Waze as well, but I would expect them to.

machinecoffee 7y ago

As the owner of a Nest (pre-Google acquisition), I can only say that it's not been a positive experience for me. Condescending emails about how many 'leafs' I've earned every few months and forcing me to login to the device over Google instead of my Nest account is what I'm faced with now.

ubercore 7y ago
I purchased a first generation Nest, and I remember getting emails about leafs for as long as I've had it. I don't think that one is on Google

vineyardmike 7y ago

If a company has too much money to invest, give it back to investors and let them direct the money more efficiently.