The big news story of the last few days in the technology world has to be Microsoft’s bid on Yahoo!
While there has been a lot said about the possible outcome and longterm effects of such a merger / takeover a lot of people were probably waiting to see what Google would say and do.
Google have now released a statement of sorts on one of their corporate blogs and it is amusing to say the least. I just hope to God that people don’t swallow it!
The piece goes on and on about openness and innovation and all these other buzzwords.
Google aren’t exactly open and a lot of the criticism that has been used against Microsoft in the past is now being used to describe Google.
Do they think we’re all a bit dumb?
You can read the puff piece over here
EDIT: Paul Walsh and I seem to agree on this one: Google Throws Its Toys Out of The Pram
I think you’re missing the point a bit.
Openness refers to things like open protocols – gtalk is jabber-based, you can pop3 all your mail from gmail at no additional cost, and the entire internet is based on an open protocol stack. Remember MSN from 1995?
Nobody forces you to use Google. Yes it’s easy to say that they’re the biggest so really you’re left with little choice, but at the same time there is nothing in your OS forcing you to. By controlling 2 large web services (yahoo and msn) and the OS and Office apps market, it looks like it would be far easier for MS to force lock-in to their web services.
Like it or not, the internet is built on openness and innovation, and MS having a controlling stake in it is bad for everyone.
Google’s comments were made by their legal counsel.
It’s got absolutely nothing to do with protocols and other techno babble.
It’s all down to politics and positioning
It’ll be interesting to see how the Big Three’s respective share prices change over the next couple of weeks.
I don’t know what to think about it.
It has many meanings and my opinion is that Google said something just for the sake of it as many expected their reaction towards the entire situation.
From Google’s blog “We believe that the interests of Internet users come first — and should come first — as the merits of this proposed acquisition are examined and alternatives explored.”
I think Google made the long rambling comment in order to send a very discrete message to Yahoo! ‘hey, we’re game so don’t go selling just yet’.
I forgot to make this comment on my own post.
There are now rumours of a potential Google bid but then it seems the press were leading us that way anyway with lots of “who could possibly afford to out-bid Microsoft?” lines.
In terms of compatibility I think Google/Yahoo would be a more sensible and harmonious marriage than a Microsoft/Yahoo alliance, which MS would utterly dominate to the detriment of existing Yahoo services.
Even if they did merge, a Microsoft/Yahoo alliance would still be a poor man’s Google whereas a Yahoo/Google alliance would be a force that no company could reckon with.
Then again there’s still a chance that neither alliance will be allowed to take place and an even bigger chance it’s all hype and the whole thing could turn out to be nothing.