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They would need to be Apple, they would need to understand how to write software for this purpose and then deliver it, and they would need to be able to make th

They would need to be Apple, they would need to understand how to write software for this purpose and then deliver it, and they would need to be able to make this the default search engine for iPhones without antimonopoly distractions. Beyond that, Google’s dominance isn’t going away due to their own “monopoly-like” positioning, their business relationships, the inertia of their massive public adoption, all of these applied within three or four other vital areas (ie: YouTube), their ability to pivot in response to anything novel that appeared to undermine their position, no apparent stories of Google executives hosting puppy kicking parties for the entire company to Satanic Panic everyone away from their products, the problem of promising companies being acquired because the owners (VC or founder or otherwise) are happy to be bought, the general “ick” factor of someone like Facebook attempting to enter the fray, some other things none of us have ever considered, random luck, and the initial conditions of the universe. You have to have good results against the inconceivably vast amount of content out there, you have to be easy to use, you have to be free, and you have to be able to do all of this and more for the yeeeeeears it would take to wiggle into the space and expand while resisting the pressures above. Doable, wildly improbable.

elnygren 5y ago
Sounds like a government intervention is needed and the monopoly should be broken down for a better functioning market. However, I guess big tech companies have become part of the superpower games (USA vs. China etc.). Breaking up Google might just mean a Chinese company takes over. Can't trust the other governments to enforce similar market conditions. So yeah, like you said, conditions of the universe :)
- smitty1e 5y ago
  > Sounds like a government intervention is needed and the monopoly should be broken down for a better functioning market. Well-crafted arguments showing where Google (or ilk) are anti-competitive are likely to gain some traction.
- x86_64Ubuntu 5y ago
  >...Sounds like a government intervention is needed and the monopoly should be broken down for a better functioning market. You can break up the phone systems because the child companies can provide similar levels of service. But how do you break up a single search algorithm?
- arlcode 5y ago
  You could discourage them from buying out smaller competitors en Masse. In my mind it shouldn't make sense to found a company with the explicit goal of being purchased by one of the tech giants in a few years. Many are never even really trying to get s sustainable business model and venture capital is fueling this machine.
  - kevinventullo 5y ago
    Why shouldn’t it make sense? One point of view is that it’s a more efficient way for the tech giants to develop new features. An internal team trying to do greenfield work will inevitably be slowed down by bureaucracy, where a startup can iterate more quickly without all the friction of things like performance reviews, HR exercises, and if I’m being cynical, pesky issues like user data protection frameworks. It’s risky, but the payoff for founders is significantly larger than what an equivalent employee would get for leading an internal project.

elnygren 5y ago

Sounds like a government intervention is needed and the monopoly should be broken down for a better functioning market. However, I guess big tech companies have become part of the superpower games (USA vs. China etc.). Breaking up Google might just mean a Chinese company takes over. Can't trust the other governments to enforce similar market conditions. So yeah, like you said, conditions of the universe :)

smitty1e 5y ago
> Sounds like a government intervention is needed and the monopoly should be broken down for a better functioning market. Well-crafted arguments showing where Google (or ilk) are anti-competitive are likely to gain some traction.
x86_64Ubuntu 5y ago
>...Sounds like a government intervention is needed and the monopoly should be broken down for a better functioning market. You can break up the phone systems because the child companies can provide similar levels of service. But how do you break up a single search algorithm?
arlcode 5y ago
You could discourage them from buying out smaller competitors en Masse. In my mind it shouldn't make sense to found a company with the explicit goal of being purchased by one of the tech giants in a few years. Many are never even really trying to get s sustainable business model and venture capital is fueling this machine.
- kevinventullo 5y ago
  Why shouldn’t it make sense? One point of view is that it’s a more efficient way for the tech giants to develop new features. An internal team trying to do greenfield work will inevitably be slowed down by bureaucracy, where a startup can iterate more quickly without all the friction of things like performance reviews, HR exercises, and if I’m being cynical, pesky issues like user data protection frameworks. It’s risky, but the payoff for founders is significantly larger than what an equivalent employee would get for leading an internal project.