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This is not a good analogy at all for so many reasons. Here is something closer. Google went to University and read all books and created the worlds largest f

This is not a good analogy at all for so many reasons. Here is something closer. Google went to University and read all books and created the worlds largest filing cabinet with an amazing index of the worlds information. They decided to allow other students to use the index to help track down the information they need for their assignment. They ask Google, where do I find information about X and Google tells them they will find it in some obscure corner of the library they would never have thought to look. The index becomes so popular that some business people show up and suggest to Google that if people are looking for information about X, they might also want to buy some Y. Google shrugs and says, sure I'll tell them about your product as I send them off to find what they are looking for. Then Google notices that email sucks (and they fix it), and maps suck (so they fix it). Then they buy the local video store and make it really popular. But by this time Google is so huge its a mostly out of control monster.

___luigi 5y ago
100%. I recently read "Software Engineering at Google" https://www.amazon.com/Software-Engineering-Google-Lessons-Programming/dp/1492082791 https://www.amazon.com/Software-Engineering-Google-Lessons-P..., and my take away was that engineering culture matters a lot to drive any success and innovation. Those who work there have the freedom to challenge anything, to steer the product, and as a result, find opportunities as described in the previous comment and fix it. The management works on shaping that innovation. There is a graveyard in most Telecom company. ATT bought ad tech business AppNexus and media giant WarnerMedia back in 2018 (stone age of the internet) and didn't manage to operate it well, it's not the only one, Verizon has heavily in ad tech and media companies such as Yahoo!, but none of these companies brought the same internet culture shifting in the market as Google/FB/.. etc. We all love to hate social media companies, but these companies managed to tap into the opportunities presented and -arguably- didn't stop innovating.
- kwertyoowiyop 5y ago
  No wonder Google has so many messaging apps! /snark
Gunax 5y ago
I think the reference is to gmail, where Google famously placed ads based on the email's content and not search.
deleted 5y ago
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marstall 5y ago
I think the core of the analogy is solid, that both AT&T and Google are monopoly providers of communications infrastructure - with divergent growth paths and business models. To me the spoof does a good job of outlining how google's model is inherently somewhat predatory, and is that way precisely because it grew by starting out free. It's intriguing to consider that the important public service of searching for services and products (which is most of Google's revenue) could be financed in a more transparent and straightforward way.

___luigi 5y ago

100%. I recently read "Software Engineering at Google" https://www.amazon.com/Software-Engineering-Google-Lessons-Programming/dp/1492082791 https://www.amazon.com/Software-Engineering-Google-Lessons-P..., and my take away was that engineering culture matters a lot to drive any success and innovation. Those who work there have the freedom to challenge anything, to steer the product, and as a result, find opportunities as described in the previous comment and fix it. The management works on shaping that innovation. There is a graveyard in most Telecom company. ATT bought ad tech business AppNexus and media giant WarnerMedia back in 2018 (stone age of the internet) and didn't manage to operate it well, it's not the only one, Verizon has heavily in ad tech and media companies such as Yahoo!, but none of these companies brought the same internet culture shifting in the market as Google/FB/.. etc. We all love to hate social media companies, but these companies managed to tap into the opportunities presented and -arguably- didn't stop innovating.

kwertyoowiyop 5y ago
No wonder Google has so many messaging apps! /snark

Gunax 5y ago

I think the reference is to gmail, where Google famously placed ads based on the email's content and not search.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

marstall 5y ago

I think the core of the analogy is solid, that both AT&T and Google are monopoly providers of communications infrastructure - with divergent growth paths and business models. To me the spoof does a good job of outlining how google's model is inherently somewhat predatory, and is that way precisely because it grew by starting out free. It's intriguing to consider that the important public service of searching for services and products (which is most of Google's revenue) could be financed in a more transparent and straightforward way.