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>Google can keep Search, but Ads, Doubleclick, Analytics, Waze, GCP, Google Home - all of that needs to be broken up. >Some of the resulting businesses may hav

>Google can keep Search, but Ads, Doubleclick, Analytics, Waze, GCP, Google Home - all of that needs to be broken up. >Some of the resulting businesses may have to update their model or may not remain profitable, but historically break-ups have resulted in an increase in value for the new businesses. All of this teaches one lesson: be more like Apple. Treat your customers poorly and massively overcharge them. Make sure you are never the biggest in your field. Essentially, don't offer products that are too good for the price. I'd also like to point out that if those companies have to be spun off on their own, then the only way for some of them to make money is to sell your data to third parties. Right now Google doesn't seem to do that, but how else would Analytics monetize itself, if it cannot offer ads?

arrosenberg 7y ago
> All of this teaches one lesson: be more like Apple. Treat your customers poorly and massively overcharge them. Make sure you are never the biggest in your field. Essentially, don't offer products that are too good for the price. Or just don't abuse your customers by hiding the ball on what you do with their data. Don't buy up all your competitors, so you can squeeze more and more money out of small businesses who have to buy impressions because the organic ways (which the same companies own) don't work any more. The products aren't too good for the price - we don't even fully know what the price is. > I'd also like to point out that if those companies have to be spun off on their own, then the only way for some of them to make money is to sell your data to third parties. Right now Google doesn't seem to do that, but how else would Analytics monetize itself, if it cannot offer ads? The same way Mixpanel, KissMetrics, Adobe and dozens of other web analytics vendors monetize (including Google's own 360 Suite). Or make it clear, up front, how the data will be used on free accounts, and give the user a way to monitor and revoke that agreement at any time. As an independent business, they will be free to find the best path.
bryanrasmussen 7y ago
I think generally that Apple treats its customers better than Google treats its users.
dangrossman 7y ago
> how else would Analytics monetize itself Charge money for the product. Plenty of other companies in the space do so successfully. There's ample business value provided by good analytics. Google Analytics was originally the product of Google's acquisition of Urchin Software. At the time, Urchin's self-hosted version cost $895 with additional optional "modules" that cost up to $3,995 extra. Their "on demand" version cost $199 per month.
saagarjha 7y ago
> All of this teaches one lesson: be more like Apple. Treat your customers poorly and massively overcharge them. Make sure you are never the biggest in your field. Essentially, don't offer products that are too good for the price. You’re wrong on both counts: Apple has its own share of potentially monopolistic behavior, and there are billions of people worldwide who disagree with you on how the company treats them.
- scarface74 7y ago
  So Apple is a “monopoly” over what exactly?
  - summerlight 7y ago
    The entire ecosystem running on iOS/OS X. This is exclusive on Apple produced hardware, which effectively forms a single relevant market as you cannot easily substitute this with others even if there's a small but significant and non-transitory increase in price. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_but_significant_and_non-transitory_increase_in_price https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_but_significant_and_non-...
    - scarface74 7y ago
      So is that how you define monopoly now? Does that make all of the console makers monopolies over their platforms? Does that mean that Apple also has a “monopoly on voice assistants that can be used with AirPods”? Does it also have a monopoly on apps that can be run on the “HomePods”? Does every smart TV manufacturer with their own OS also have a “monopoly” on their ecosystem? Let’s go further down the rabbit hole. Does Tesla have a “monopoly” on software that can run on its cars? If non insignificant switching costs defines a “monopoly” every software as a service app would have a “monopoly”. Unfortunately, neither the EU or the US has ever defined “monopoly” like HN posters...
      - summerlight 7y ago
        This is not how I defined a monopoly, but a well established practice done by DoJ of the US. Defining a relevant market is not that clear and simple as you described, but it's more of an economical, data-driven process. Look up for hypothetical monopolist test. I just explained one possible scenario how this could be defined as a relevant market and you're now throwing a bunch of random assumptions on my comment. I would read the link thoroughly (it explicitly mentions DoJ?) and study more on the history of the antitrust law and its applications before doing such.

arrosenberg 7y ago

> All of this teaches one lesson: be more like Apple. Treat your customers poorly and massively overcharge them. Make sure you are never the biggest in your field. Essentially, don't offer products that are too good for the price. Or just don't abuse your customers by hiding the ball on what you do with their data. Don't buy up all your competitors, so you can squeeze more and more money out of small businesses who have to buy impressions because the organic ways (which the same companies own) don't work any more. The products aren't too good for the price - we don't even fully know what the price is. > I'd also like to point out that if those companies have to be spun off on their own, then the only way for some of them to make money is to sell your data to third parties. Right now Google doesn't seem to do that, but how else would Analytics monetize itself, if it cannot offer ads? The same way Mixpanel, KissMetrics, Adobe and dozens of other web analytics vendors monetize (including Google's own 360 Suite). Or make it clear, up front, how the data will be used on free accounts, and give the user a way to monitor and revoke that agreement at any time. As an independent business, they will be free to find the best path.

bryanrasmussen 7y ago

I think generally that Apple treats its customers better than Google treats its users.

dangrossman 7y ago

> how else would Analytics monetize itself Charge money for the product. Plenty of other companies in the space do so successfully. There's ample business value provided by good analytics. Google Analytics was originally the product of Google's acquisition of Urchin Software. At the time, Urchin's self-hosted version cost $895 with additional optional "modules" that cost up to $3,995 extra. Their "on demand" version cost $199 per month.

saagarjha 7y ago

> All of this teaches one lesson: be more like Apple. Treat your customers poorly and massively overcharge them. Make sure you are never the biggest in your field. Essentially, don't offer products that are too good for the price. You’re wrong on both counts: Apple has its own share of potentially monopolistic behavior, and there are billions of people worldwide who disagree with you on how the company treats them.

scarface74 7y ago
So Apple is a “monopoly” over what exactly?
- summerlight 7y ago
  The entire ecosystem running on iOS/OS X. This is exclusive on Apple produced hardware, which effectively forms a single relevant market as you cannot easily substitute this with others even if there's a small but significant and non-transitory increase in price. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_but_significant_and_non-transitory_increase_in_price https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_but_significant_and_non-...
  - scarface74 7y ago
    So is that how you define monopoly now? Does that make all of the console makers monopolies over their platforms? Does that mean that Apple also has a “monopoly on voice assistants that can be used with AirPods”? Does it also have a monopoly on apps that can be run on the “HomePods”? Does every smart TV manufacturer with their own OS also have a “monopoly” on their ecosystem? Let’s go further down the rabbit hole. Does Tesla have a “monopoly” on software that can run on its cars? If non insignificant switching costs defines a “monopoly” every software as a service app would have a “monopoly”. Unfortunately, neither the EU or the US has ever defined “monopoly” like HN posters...
    - summerlight 7y ago
      This is not how I defined a monopoly, but a well established practice done by DoJ of the US. Defining a relevant market is not that clear and simple as you described, but it's more of an economical, data-driven process. Look up for hypothetical monopolist test. I just explained one possible scenario how this could be defined as a relevant market and you're now throwing a bunch of random assumptions on my comment. I would read the link thoroughly (it explicitly mentions DoJ?) and study more on the history of the antitrust law and its applications before doing such.