The New Yorker revisits the limits of size in an article about Google. Author Ken Auletta describes some of challenges faced by Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page in expanding out of Google’s core search business. Fear and loathing on the part of Google’s competitors and allies alike have created a kind of informal free-floating alliance focussed on stopping or at least slowing G’s march towards $100B in revenue.
The author goes on to suggest that Google’s obstacles might be overcome, and its goals & ambitions achieved by playing nice and some humility. Possibly, but probably not…
A better analogy for Google and its current travails is that of a bacterium in a petri-dish. Google could be viewed as having consumed all of the agar-agar in its own vicinity of the petri-dish and is encroaching on its neighbors’ supply. Not surprisingly, the neighboring bacteria are becoming concerned and resisting. The situation is likely hopeless unless Google can co-opt its neighors, move to another petri-dish or figure out how to make more agar-agar. We’re leaning towards #1 and #3.
The Search Party – The New Yorker, January 14, 2008
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It’s interesting how in just a couple years Google went from being the dominating tech company to one that shares power in many ways with Apple and Facebook.
Well, with the Android, they certainly found a petri dish just full of delicious agar-agar. I wonder what’s next.
Yeah, who knows which of Google’s many acquisitions could become the next breakout success like Android?
A few years ago, Google was on the path to lone world dominance. Now, it seems they’ll have to contend with Facebook, Apple and Microsoft for quite some time.