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Google didn't get to where it is today by amassing a bunch of random overvalued startups.

by elaineo 13y ago

sz4kerto 13y ago
Hm, well. Google bought Youtube. Picasa. Android. Maps.
- eitally 13y ago
  The remarkable thing to me is that after they buy and prove the value of these things, they effectively rewrite them entirely. That takes balls, and massive resources.
  - PakG1 13y ago
    This means they weren't buying the product or technology. They were buying the eyeballs, the audiences. Then they invested what was necessary to sustain growth and keep the eyeballs.
ibuildthings 13y ago
Shouldn't question be how does google manage to stay ahead in the curve ( despite being a big company ) ? Are their acquisitions ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitions_by_Google https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitio... ) helping, and how much they play the part in being one of the dominant company ?
aaronharnly 13y ago
Maybe not "random" or "overvalued", but it did buy (and then further develop): * YouTube * Google Earth * Google Docs * Picasa * Android * Doubleclick While none of these is the very heart of Google (Search, AdWords), they encompass some of the most popular and most strategically important of Google's offerings, don't you think?
- ajays 13y ago
  "While none of these is the very heart of Google (Search, AdWords), ..." Think again. AdWord/AdSense came out of "Applied Semantics", that they bought in 2003 for $102MM. Here's the full list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitions_by_Google https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitio...
  - dubcanada 13y ago
    Not to mention they also bought Doubleclick, which helped.
  - ccera 13y ago
    Applied Semantics had nothing to do with the creation of AdWords. AdWords was created in-house by Google years before they acquired Applied Semantics. It was an extremely successful and lucrative operation long before Applied Semantics ever entered the picture. Google also developed and launched AdSense prior to acquiring Applied Semantics. They acquired Applied Semantics because it was complementary to what Google had already developed.
    - yawn 13y ago
      http://googlepress.blogspot.com/2004/04/google-acquires-applied-semantics.html http://googlepress.blogspot.com/2004/04/google-acquires-appl...: "A key application of the CIRCA technology is Applied Semantics’ AdSense product" Is this wrong?
- elaineo 13y ago
  I absolutely agree with you. What Google didn't do is acquire Geocities and del.icio.us, only to disappoint the core users. That was Yahoo. And then comes the recent string of Summly, GoPollgo, Loki, and Tumblr. From my lay perspective, they seem random, and quite overvalued. Maybe Yahoo will do good things with these companies, as Google did with its acquisitions. Or maybe these will go the way of Geocities.

Google didn't get to where it is today by amassing a bunch of random overvalued startups.

by elaineo 13y ago

Google didn't get to where it is today by amassing a bunch of random overvalued startups.

sz4kerto 13y ago

Hm, well. Google bought Youtube. Picasa. Android. Maps.

eitally 13y ago
The remarkable thing to me is that after they buy and prove the value of these things, they effectively rewrite them entirely. That takes balls, and massive resources.
- PakG1 13y ago
  This means they weren't buying the product or technology. They were buying the eyeballs, the audiences. Then they invested what was necessary to sustain growth and keep the eyeballs.

ibuildthings 13y ago

Shouldn't question be how does google manage to stay ahead in the curve ( despite being a big company ) ? Are their acquisitions ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitions_by_Google https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitio... ) helping, and how much they play the part in being one of the dominant company ?

aaronharnly 13y ago

Maybe not "random" or "overvalued", but it did buy (and then further develop): * YouTube * Google Earth * Google Docs * Picasa * Android * Doubleclick While none of these is the very heart of Google (Search, AdWords), they encompass some of the most popular and most strategically important of Google's offerings, don't you think?

ajays 13y ago
"While none of these is the very heart of Google (Search, AdWords), ..." Think again. AdWord/AdSense came out of "Applied Semantics", that they bought in 2003 for $102MM. Here's the full list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitions_by_Google https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitio...
- dubcanada 13y ago
  Not to mention they also bought Doubleclick, which helped.
- ccera 13y ago
  Applied Semantics had nothing to do with the creation of AdWords. AdWords was created in-house by Google years before they acquired Applied Semantics. It was an extremely successful and lucrative operation long before Applied Semantics ever entered the picture. Google also developed and launched AdSense prior to acquiring Applied Semantics. They acquired Applied Semantics because it was complementary to what Google had already developed.
  - yawn 13y ago
    http://googlepress.blogspot.com/2004/04/google-acquires-applied-semantics.html http://googlepress.blogspot.com/2004/04/google-acquires-appl...: "A key application of the CIRCA technology is Applied Semantics’ AdSense product" Is this wrong?
elaineo 13y ago
I absolutely agree with you. What Google didn't do is acquire Geocities and del.icio.us, only to disappoint the core users. That was Yahoo. And then comes the recent string of Summly, GoPollgo, Loki, and Tumblr. From my lay perspective, they seem random, and quite overvalued. Maybe Yahoo will do good things with these companies, as Google did with its acquisitions. Or maybe these will go the way of Geocities.