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"Over the coming months, Spotify will work with Google’s product and engineering teams to build this new experience" It's so absolutely bizarre to announce som

by jmacd 5y ago

"Over the coming months, Spotify will work with Google’s product and engineering teams to build this new experience" It's so absolutely bizarre to announce something at this stage. I wonder what is prompting it.

mnholt 5y ago
To maximize the amount of media coverage this receives. In a number of months they will announce that it’s done.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
nawgz 5y ago
I don't know much about things, but I was immediately left with the feeling that this was a Google action performed vis a vis antitrust. Whether to strengthen a case against Apple or weaken one against them or some other ball game entirely, I have no clue.
extheat 5y ago
It is a big and notable event in the middle of antitrust investigations into Apple/Google by the US and the EU.
kenhwang 5y ago
Pretty standard Google playbook these days. Instead of building something and then cancelling it later when it doesn't gain traction to get their PR win, they decide to cash in on the PR win upfront with a big partnership announcement, then cancel the product before building it if it doesn't gain sufficient traction, thus saving on engineering costs and streamlining the typical Google technical offering lifecycle. Behind the scenes, Google usually gives the partnering company some pretty nice discounts. Usually no one does any engineering until someone else sees the PR and also wants in on this "exciting new feature" and they're the one actually beta testing the product that they thought the announced companies already used.
- Drew_ 5y ago
  This is such an odd conspiracy theory. This new effort is a response to regulation in markets around the world like South Korea [1] and the Netherlands [2] [1] https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/4/22763040/google-in-app-purchases-alternative-south-korea-payments https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/4/22763040/google-in-app-pu.... [2] https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/24/22852966/apple-netherlands-dating-apps-match-tinder-app-store-competition https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/24/22852966/apple-netherlan...
  - judge2020 5y ago
    This sure would have saved Stadia. Sadly, they'd already put in the work securiring partners (Bunge with Destiny 2) and basically had a full product that was first demoed in 2018 under the name 'Project Stream'[0]. 0: https://youtu.be/yLPvyKvtbwE https://youtu.be/yLPvyKvtbwE
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
smt88 5y ago
> It's so absolutely bizarre to announce something at this stage. This is 100% a defense against antitrust investigations happening across the country. It doesn't matter that users don't care, that they may never roll it out, or that it may never roll out beyond Spotify. Promises are free -- they can make as many promises as they want to try to blunt the inevitable litigation. In return, they're getting one fewer enemy. I wouldn't be surprised if they try to pick up the other major developers antagonizing the app stores, like Match Group and Epic, using the same tactic. Unfortunately, this shows even more dedication to the monopoly -- it's not dissimilar from dictators who allow their political opponents to live to make it seem like there's a democracy.
ehnto 5y ago
I suspect this is entirely for the benefit of PR between internal management. Announcing this at all doesn't make much sense, let alone when you don't actually have it. What's a customer supposed to do with the information, and when is a user even likely to see this? I use Spotify for hours every day, I do not follow their news outlets. So I imagine it's just for internal signalling/prosperity.
denkmoon 5y ago
imo this is squarely aimed at Apple and the scrutiny they are receiving with respect to Apple Pay. The actual implementation of this is ancillary, what "matters" is Google showing that they can/will do this and Apple don't.

by jmacd 5y ago

mnholt 5y ago

To maximize the amount of media coverage this receives. In a number of months they will announce that it’s done.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

nawgz 5y ago

I don't know much about things, but I was immediately left with the feeling that this was a Google action performed vis a vis antitrust. Whether to strengthen a case against Apple or weaken one against them or some other ball game entirely, I have no clue.

extheat 5y ago

It is a big and notable event in the middle of antitrust investigations into Apple/Google by the US and the EU.

kenhwang 5y ago

Pretty standard Google playbook these days. Instead of building something and then cancelling it later when it doesn't gain traction to get their PR win, they decide to cash in on the PR win upfront with a big partnership announcement, then cancel the product before building it if it doesn't gain sufficient traction, thus saving on engineering costs and streamlining the typical Google technical offering lifecycle. Behind the scenes, Google usually gives the partnering company some pretty nice discounts. Usually no one does any engineering until someone else sees the PR and also wants in on this "exciting new feature" and they're the one actually beta testing the product that they thought the announced companies already used.

Drew_ 5y ago
This is such an odd conspiracy theory. This new effort is a response to regulation in markets around the world like South Korea [1] and the Netherlands [2] [1] https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/4/22763040/google-in-app-purchases-alternative-south-korea-payments https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/4/22763040/google-in-app-pu.... [2] https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/24/22852966/apple-netherlands-dating-apps-match-tinder-app-store-competition https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/24/22852966/apple-netherlan...
- judge2020 5y ago
  This sure would have saved Stadia. Sadly, they'd already put in the work securiring partners (Bunge with Destiny 2) and basically had a full product that was first demoed in 2018 under the name 'Project Stream'[0]. 0: https://youtu.be/yLPvyKvtbwE https://youtu.be/yLPvyKvtbwE
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

smt88 5y ago

> It's so absolutely bizarre to announce something at this stage. This is 100% a defense against antitrust investigations happening across the country. It doesn't matter that users don't care, that they may never roll it out, or that it may never roll out beyond Spotify. Promises are free -- they can make as many promises as they want to try to blunt the inevitable litigation. In return, they're getting one fewer enemy. I wouldn't be surprised if they try to pick up the other major developers antagonizing the app stores, like Match Group and Epic, using the same tactic. Unfortunately, this shows even more dedication to the monopoly -- it's not dissimilar from dictators who allow their political opponents to live to make it seem like there's a democracy.

ehnto 5y ago

I suspect this is entirely for the benefit of PR between internal management. Announcing this at all doesn't make much sense, let alone when you don't actually have it. What's a customer supposed to do with the information, and when is a user even likely to see this? I use Spotify for hours every day, I do not follow their news outlets. So I imagine it's just for internal signalling/prosperity.

denkmoon 5y ago

imo this is squarely aimed at Apple and the scrutiny they are receiving with respect to Apple Pay. The actual implementation of this is ancillary, what "matters" is Google showing that they can/will do this and Apple don't.