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IIRC, Square already does around 10% of PayPal's transaction volume, which is impressive. Of course, Square is mostly offline and PayPal is mostly online--and

by codex 13y ago

IIRC, Square already does around 10% of PayPal's transaction volume, which is impressive. Of course, Square is mostly offline and PayPal is mostly online--and here we see the beginnings of the inevitable conflict. At last, they begin the fight to enter PayPal's core market, using their offline clout in POS to enter online payments using existing brick and mortar stores for fulfillment. Google, just buy Square already.

tr4656 13y ago
Would Google buy Square? I doubt Google really wants to get into the offline payment market. If Google really want to fight Paypal as alternative online payment platform, it would be better for Google to buy Stripe.
- gnvkay 13y ago
  >I doubt Google really wants to get into the offline payment market. NFC payments? Google Wallet?
- codex 13y ago
  Stripe is nothing--just a faster horse. PayPal and Square (and Google and Apple) ultimately aim to replace the credit card itself. That's the prize. Square is attacking from the B&M merchant POS side and consumer to consumer email payments, Apple from iTunes and mobile, Google from mobile and web properties, and PayPal from online merchants and consumer (though, in all honesty, I see so little innovation coming from PayPal I sometimes wonder if they see what's coming). I suspect the key is to win the consumer by bootstrapping with physical merchants, so I give the odds to Square, and to a lesser extent Google and Apple. Apple and Amazon are other potential suitors for Square, but the company is kicking so much ass I doubt they'll sell. For all HN likes to spin acquisitions as victories, 95% of the time they are the final denouement of a defeated startup. When a startup is doing well, ambition takes over and selling is usually out of the question.
- loceng 13y ago
  The financial transactions business will be dramatically different in 10 years from now, Square will IPO to make their big $ back, and then let the public take the blunt hit of the market shifting towards even lower cost transactions. 2.7%+ is ridiculous.
chatmasta 13y ago
If Jack Dorsey sells square, I'll eat my hat.

by codex 13y ago

tr4656 13y ago

Would Google buy Square? I doubt Google really wants to get into the offline payment market. If Google really want to fight Paypal as alternative online payment platform, it would be better for Google to buy Stripe.

gnvkay 13y ago
>I doubt Google really wants to get into the offline payment market. NFC payments? Google Wallet?
codex 13y ago
Stripe is nothing--just a faster horse. PayPal and Square (and Google and Apple) ultimately aim to replace the credit card itself. That's the prize. Square is attacking from the B&M merchant POS side and consumer to consumer email payments, Apple from iTunes and mobile, Google from mobile and web properties, and PayPal from online merchants and consumer (though, in all honesty, I see so little innovation coming from PayPal I sometimes wonder if they see what's coming). I suspect the key is to win the consumer by bootstrapping with physical merchants, so I give the odds to Square, and to a lesser extent Google and Apple. Apple and Amazon are other potential suitors for Square, but the company is kicking so much ass I doubt they'll sell. For all HN likes to spin acquisitions as victories, 95% of the time they are the final denouement of a defeated startup. When a startup is doing well, ambition takes over and selling is usually out of the question.
loceng 13y ago
The financial transactions business will be dramatically different in 10 years from now, Square will IPO to make their big $ back, and then let the public take the blunt hit of the market shifting towards even lower cost transactions. 2.7%+ is ridiculous.

chatmasta 13y ago

If Jack Dorsey sells square, I'll eat my hat.