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Google is a copy cat. Yelp, Groupon, Facebook, Twitter, Skyhook, Flipboard. See any pattern? Does it make sense now?

by chugger 15y ago

nextparadigms 15y ago
Skyhook??
yanw 15y ago
Coupons, reviews, social networks and aggregation are hardly novel ideas. They've existed long before computation, and even were implemented in software before those you mention.
- willifred 15y ago
  While you make a valid point, I also think the parent post might have been also making a different one. It's not so much whether these markets existed prior, but that Google is entering these markets with vastly more resources and (often) with an intent to commoditize the market by giving the product away or undercutting everyone else by a significant margin, so that they can grow their own data-driven advertising business--effectively turning each market they enter into just another 'moat' around their core product. While I wouldn't deny their right to do so, I also wouldn't deny that it often casts them as a bully.
  - chii 15y ago
    "I also wouldn't deny that it often casts them as a bully." nothing wrong with throwing their weight around, provided the peopel that matter (who, in my eyes, are the consumers) are treated right. I don't care if a few businesses suffer because of commoditization of their product.
    - chugger 15y ago
      "nothing wrong with throwing their weight around" there's a term in business for that. I believe the word is "anti-competitive".
      - John212 15y ago
        I agree that their search engine and ad platform could be classified as monopoly. However I disagree that their actions have been anti-competitive in any manner. They have a huge chunk of the search market but you can still use very good search engines like bing, yahoo, ask, aol or the awesome duckduckgo. Google is continually tweaking and improving the design, speed, results and features of their search engine in an effort to stay ahead of the competition. The reasons that people don't use the other engines are not because of google being "anti-competitive" but rather due to them offering a superior service.
kkowalczyk 15y ago
Facebook is a copycat (Friendster, MySpace, Orkut etc.) Yelp is a copycat (CitySearch etc.). Groupon probably isn't the first deal site. If we didn't have VisiCalc and 1-2-3 and Excel, we wouldn't have Apple's Keynote. That's how this industry works: large enough markets attract multiple companies. Increased competition causes all players to step up their game and lower their prices. This benefits consumer i.e. you and me. This is exactly how things are supposed to work.
- brfox 15y ago
  Innovation is the commercialization of a good idea. So, the ideas are easy to come by, but combining the good idea and the commercialization is what really makes something innovative.

Google is a copy cat. Yelp, Groupon, Facebook, Twitter, Skyhook, Flipboard. See any pattern? Does it make sense now?

by chugger 15y ago

Google is a copy cat. Yelp, Groupon, Facebook, Twitter, Skyhook, Flipboard. See any pattern? Does it make sense now?

nextparadigms 15y ago

Skyhook??

yanw 15y ago

Coupons, reviews, social networks and aggregation are hardly novel ideas. They've existed long before computation, and even were implemented in software before those you mention.

willifred 15y ago
While you make a valid point, I also think the parent post might have been also making a different one. It's not so much whether these markets existed prior, but that Google is entering these markets with vastly more resources and (often) with an intent to commoditize the market by giving the product away or undercutting everyone else by a significant margin, so that they can grow their own data-driven advertising business--effectively turning each market they enter into just another 'moat' around their core product. While I wouldn't deny their right to do so, I also wouldn't deny that it often casts them as a bully.
- chii 15y ago
  "I also wouldn't deny that it often casts them as a bully." nothing wrong with throwing their weight around, provided the peopel that matter (who, in my eyes, are the consumers) are treated right. I don't care if a few businesses suffer because of commoditization of their product.
  - chugger 15y ago
    "nothing wrong with throwing their weight around" there's a term in business for that. I believe the word is "anti-competitive".
    - John212 15y ago
      I agree that their search engine and ad platform could be classified as monopoly. However I disagree that their actions have been anti-competitive in any manner. They have a huge chunk of the search market but you can still use very good search engines like bing, yahoo, ask, aol or the awesome duckduckgo. Google is continually tweaking and improving the design, speed, results and features of their search engine in an effort to stay ahead of the competition. The reasons that people don't use the other engines are not because of google being "anti-competitive" but rather due to them offering a superior service.

kkowalczyk 15y ago

Facebook is a copycat (Friendster, MySpace, Orkut etc.) Yelp is a copycat (CitySearch etc.). Groupon probably isn't the first deal site. If we didn't have VisiCalc and 1-2-3 and Excel, we wouldn't have Apple's Keynote. That's how this industry works: large enough markets attract multiple companies. Increased competition causes all players to step up their game and lower their prices. This benefits consumer i.e. you and me. This is exactly how things are supposed to work.

brfox 15y ago
Innovation is the commercialization of a good idea. So, the ideas are easy to come by, but combining the good idea and the commercialization is what really makes something innovative.