Friday, September 12, 2008

Without a worthy opponent, Google 's destiny is to cross path with beast called Government

Jurisdiction, privacy, antitrust, compliance. These aren't the terms you'd likely associate the internet giant with. Most people would say that Google's bread and butter is it's search and search advertising but no one would argue that it's tentacles extends a far more wider reach than most could imagine (considering the continuous acquisitions).

There is a virtual graveyard for companies who tried to tackle Google head on and proof of man's valor (or stubbornness) is that there isn't a scarcity for those who keep on trying. Perhaps, it can be done but no doubt the Company has already achieved a humongous head start and has wisely used it's resources to completely dip it's hand to every possible emerging web niche while it can - office tools, mobile and cloud compute.

So, is there no one else left to challenge OmniGoogle's dominance? Can they just be allowed to scour every potential financial web roost and turn it into their own revenue machine? One might say it isn't true given the example of Youtube which remains without a cash stream. But then again, it is far from being a web loss and most feel that it is just a matter of time that Google figures something out. Perhaps the business idea hasn't existed yet but better to corner the hits early than to languish in obscurity.

But Google cannot forever tow the line and keep itself vaccinated within the protected womb of a tech world. Much as IT and the Web prides itself as apolitical and user-centric at its best, it cannot help cross and get its feet wet in the realm of regulations. Even as the SLA's and Terms of Service immediately move out of the way and disappear as soon as you click a box, you cannot help but be reminded that virtual realms ultimately are subjects of an offline and physical world.

And as Google, towers above everything, like a tree that is so full of ripe fruits, it just cannot be ignored. Google and most web companies are about innovation and innovation is most often 'boldly going where no man has ever gone before'. Innovation is as much about risks and at present, Google looms largest that even stepping on something trivial (or potentially stepping on one) is bad press waiting for to be blown out of proportion.

And if there is something we hate more than loss of connectivity and FailWhale, it is 'holier-than-thou sacred cows' that seemingly can't do anything wrong. Even worse, is that there is an institution that thinks itself as the legitimate one christened by something called votes.

And as they say, there can be only one.

Related:
What Laws Should Govern Computing Clouds
?

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