3 ms·

But then what's stopping Google from just turning around and buying their startup if it looks promising?

• peacemaker 13y ago
  That was my first thought but then I realized that no-one can force them to sell to Google
  • LanceH 13y ago
    They can't force in the gun-to-the-head sense, but they can "force" a startup to sell with the threat of throwing a billion dollars at the problem themselves.
    • ryanmolden 13y ago
      Because one can buy success? Like Google+? Or a lot of things Microsoft has tried recently? I realize, all else being equal, a threat of a major investment by a deep pocketed company shouldn't be taken lightly, but the idea that Google can "throw a billion dollars" at a market segment and thus dominate seems like wishful thinking by management.