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But as a consumer it's very nice to have hours of operation, directions, phone numbers, and reviews all in one place that's linked to my search engine. I can s

by avirut 5y ago

But as a consumer it's very nice to have hours of operation, directions, phone numbers, and reviews all in one place that's linked to my search engine. I can see how, if Google's top priority is turning a profit, Google having a product so data-rich and unified that it leaves no room for competitors is bad for consumers in the long term. On the other hand, the most desirable option would be a reliably "benevolent" mega-corp that could be trusted to prioritize the user experience while also horizontally integrating across product segments to create a unified service.

passivate 5y ago
>the most desirable option would be a reliably "benevolent" mega-corp that could be trusted to prioritize the user experience while also horizontally integrating across product segments to create a unified service. Why is that desirable? Its not to me. The most desirable outcome is open data exchange standards that allow data exchange so that ANYONE can build such a service. Google locks-up publicly available data and they subsidize/price dump to offer services at no-cost so other players die out leaving them to manipulate the market as they see fit. Its the worst possible outcome for everyone involved.