5 ms·

I think Google can win this easily by using the public opinion against the regulators. They just need to say that they are gonna start charging for all their s

I think Google can win this easily by using the public opinion against the regulators. They just need to say that they are gonna start charging for all their services because without the level of integration they have it doesn't make sense to keep running businesses that otherwise would lose money.

pydry 2y ago
"If you break us up we will start such an epic tantrum that we will end up shooting ourselves in the head"
bell-cot 2y ago
"...gonna start charging..." In a world where the competition's price for most of those services is "free", charging for used-to-be-free stuff sounds like a sure-fire suicidal business strategy.
- StrauXX 2y ago
  They don't have to actually do that should Google bbebroken up. They can still use that as an argument to rouse public support against a breakup.
  - bell-cot 2y ago
    They can try. But in a world full of free on-line stuff, the public may think the "you'll go bust if you try" counter-argument is obviously correct.
viraptor 2y ago
Do you honestly think that would have any effect beyond Gmail users? (those would really hurt) But otherwise I don't think an average non-tech person would be likely to notice a difference between Bing and Google. And ms, ddg, Kagi and perplexity would love to see lots of people actually looking for alternatives. Docs/sheets/pages/whatever wouldn't change since they're supported by the paying users. The rest, Google is going to kill at some point anyway like they did with hundred other projects. They only one I really don't know how it would be affected is Android.
- stogot 2y ago
  I’d pay for consumer tier (which we’ll pretend was the former free tier) if I got proper customer service number I could call. I don’t use it enough to pay for a business tier
  - vel0city 2y ago
    Google One includes phone support.
    - ajcoll5 2y ago
      It does, but they're useless for anything that isn't already a Google search away. They can't help with actual account/service issues, and don't seem to have a way to escalate to the right teams that can.
2OEH8eoCRo0 2y ago
The public would have been against breaking up Standard Oil because they kept oil cheap.
- newsclues 2y ago
  Standard oil lacks the ability to shape the narrative that google has. If standard oil had control of the information space history would be very different. Not even Ma Bell had the power that google has
  - vel0city 2y ago
    You couldn't even own a phone under Ma Bell. Meanwhile just about every product Google has I can use someone else.
    - newsclues 2y ago
      Ma Bell didn’t have the power to cut off advertising revenue to YouTubers who say things the company does like, nor the power to shape the global access to information with search, nor did they scan people’s communications
      - ApolloFortyNine 2y ago
        >Ma Bell didn’t have the power to cut off advertising revenue to YouTubers who say things the company does like They don't even ban you (it's very hard to get banned on youtube) and it's the advertisers themselves who decide this. >nor did they scan people’s communications They don't scan emails and never have. And you could move to an alternative browser/search/youtube (if someone could host one profitably) by the end of the day.
      - vel0city 2y ago
        Ma Bell had the power to make it so you couldn't talk on a wire, at all. They owned all the wires. They owned all the phones. But sure, being de-monetized on a website, that's way worse. And yes, Ma Bell had the ability to listen in to every conversation had on a wire. Not just some, all. Meanwhile most conversations I have on the internet don't involve Google in the slightest.
blitzar 2y ago
Google would need to get public opinion on their side first.
- is_true 2y ago
  They already have that.
s_dev 2y ago
>I think Google can win this easily by using the public opinion against the regulators. Apple levels of arrogance. Apple tried the same approach when the EU was slapping them down with DMA and few were having it, calling Apple out for their immature responses delusionally thinking that because people were glued to their phones they would some how value that above their representative government.
snapcaster 2y ago
I don't see this succeeding. Not only is tech extremely hateable as a demographic, not everyone is a corporate bootlicker (outside of this forum)
- miki123211 2y ago
  > Not only is tech extremely hateable as a demographic Oh boy is this incorrect. Outside the Silicon Valley / well-educated upper middle class / tech worker bubble, tech companies are more trusted than most political parties and government and religious institutions, and this is true across the world as polls show. People who are not into tech have no idea about Google's business deals or App Store anti-steering provisions. They use Google as long as it delivers great results, and switch to searching on Tiktok or asking Chat GPT if it doesn't. HN is probably one of the most anti-tech places on the internet, maybe outside of Mastodon.
  - JKCalhoun 2y ago
    I'm not so sure. You sound like you're describing the older generations and their tech swoon. What I am hearing lately, and from coming-up generations, is very much anti-tech. I think HN is more the bellwether.
  - wildrhythms 2y ago
    >tech companies are more trusted than most political parties The bar is that low huh?

pydry 2y ago

"If you break us up we will start such an epic tantrum that we will end up shooting ourselves in the head"

bell-cot 2y ago

"...gonna start charging..." In a world where the competition's price for most of those services is "free", charging for used-to-be-free stuff sounds like a sure-fire suicidal business strategy.

StrauXX 2y ago
They don't have to actually do that should Google bbebroken up. They can still use that as an argument to rouse public support against a breakup.
- bell-cot 2y ago
  They can try. But in a world full of free on-line stuff, the public may think the "you'll go bust if you try" counter-argument is obviously correct.

viraptor 2y ago

Do you honestly think that would have any effect beyond Gmail users? (those would really hurt) But otherwise I don't think an average non-tech person would be likely to notice a difference between Bing and Google. And ms, ddg, Kagi and perplexity would love to see lots of people actually looking for alternatives. Docs/sheets/pages/whatever wouldn't change since they're supported by the paying users. The rest, Google is going to kill at some point anyway like they did with hundred other projects. They only one I really don't know how it would be affected is Android.

stogot 2y ago
I’d pay for consumer tier (which we’ll pretend was the former free tier) if I got proper customer service number I could call. I don’t use it enough to pay for a business tier
- vel0city 2y ago
  Google One includes phone support.
  - ajcoll5 2y ago
    It does, but they're useless for anything that isn't already a Google search away. They can't help with actual account/service issues, and don't seem to have a way to escalate to the right teams that can.

2OEH8eoCRo0 2y ago

The public would have been against breaking up Standard Oil because they kept oil cheap.

newsclues 2y ago
Standard oil lacks the ability to shape the narrative that google has. If standard oil had control of the information space history would be very different. Not even Ma Bell had the power that google has
- vel0city 2y ago
  You couldn't even own a phone under Ma Bell. Meanwhile just about every product Google has I can use someone else.
  - newsclues 2y ago
    Ma Bell didn’t have the power to cut off advertising revenue to YouTubers who say things the company does like, nor the power to shape the global access to information with search, nor did they scan people’s communications
    - ApolloFortyNine 2y ago
      >Ma Bell didn’t have the power to cut off advertising revenue to YouTubers who say things the company does like They don't even ban you (it's very hard to get banned on youtube) and it's the advertisers themselves who decide this. >nor did they scan people’s communications They don't scan emails and never have. And you could move to an alternative browser/search/youtube (if someone could host one profitably) by the end of the day.
    - vel0city 2y ago
      Ma Bell had the power to make it so you couldn't talk on a wire, at all. They owned all the wires. They owned all the phones. But sure, being de-monetized on a website, that's way worse. And yes, Ma Bell had the ability to listen in to every conversation had on a wire. Not just some, all. Meanwhile most conversations I have on the internet don't involve Google in the slightest.

blitzar 2y ago

Google would need to get public opinion on their side first.

is_true 2y ago
They already have that.

s_dev 2y ago

>I think Google can win this easily by using the public opinion against the regulators. Apple levels of arrogance. Apple tried the same approach when the EU was slapping them down with DMA and few were having it, calling Apple out for their immature responses delusionally thinking that because people were glued to their phones they would some how value that above their representative government.

snapcaster 2y ago

I don't see this succeeding. Not only is tech extremely hateable as a demographic, not everyone is a corporate bootlicker (outside of this forum)

miki123211 2y ago
> Not only is tech extremely hateable as a demographic Oh boy is this incorrect. Outside the Silicon Valley / well-educated upper middle class / tech worker bubble, tech companies are more trusted than most political parties and government and religious institutions, and this is true across the world as polls show. People who are not into tech have no idea about Google's business deals or App Store anti-steering provisions. They use Google as long as it delivers great results, and switch to searching on Tiktok or asking Chat GPT if it doesn't. HN is probably one of the most anti-tech places on the internet, maybe outside of Mastodon.
- JKCalhoun 2y ago
  I'm not so sure. You sound like you're describing the older generations and their tech swoon. What I am hearing lately, and from coming-up generations, is very much anti-tech. I think HN is more the bellwether.
- wildrhythms 2y ago
  >tech companies are more trusted than most political parties The bar is that low huh?