I think it used to be true about Microsoft as well. The adage doesn't hold forever, but we're in a time right now where Google being in a particular arena will

I think it used to be true about Microsoft as well. The adage doesn't hold forever, but we're in a time right now where Google being in a particular arena will tend to be more of a competitive beast than a market validator (it can be both, but it'll be perceived more as competitor). This might change again in a few years, but right now Google is a beast. MS used to be. The question might be do you have enough patience/money/runway to wait out that market shift to where you can be competitive again, assuming Google is in your market (many people couldn't outlast MS back in the 90s).