Comments on: The technology graveyard is littered with Google ideas http://www.erica.biz/2006/the-technology-graveyard-is-littered-with-google-ideas/ Erica Douglass, "temporarily retired" after selling a successful business at age 26, writes thought-provoking blog entries challenging you to change your life and daring you to become more successful. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 01:40:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: gabi piscioneri http://www.erica.biz/2006/the-technology-graveyard-is-littered-with-google-ideas/#comment-534 gabi piscioneri Sun, 01 Apr 2007 07:07:31 +0000 http://www.slashchick.com/?p=160#comment-534 I have an idea that think has potetential to increase efficiency in the workplace and give people more leisure time and reduce pollution. How can I get help from you guys. I come from a family of scientists, philosophers, musicians, engineers, sociologists, lawyers. I have ADHD and I'm a totally disorganised insomniac whose brain doesn't stop ticking. Help.Gabi. I have an idea that think has potetential to increase efficiency in the workplace and give people more leisure time and reduce pollution. How can I get help from you guys. I come from a family of scientists, philosophers, musicians, engineers, sociologists, lawyers. I have ADHD and I’m a totally disorganised insomniac whose brain doesn’t stop ticking. Help.Gabi.

]]> By: Mr. K. http://www.erica.biz/2006/the-technology-graveyard-is-littered-with-google-ideas/#comment-533 Mr. K. Mon, 03 Jul 2006 14:30:22 +0000 http://www.slashchick.com/?p=160#comment-533 Google is fostering an environment in which the next big idea is expected to sprout. What your post points out is that the time involved in waiting may be large, too large. It's possible the original founders hitting upon their search idea was a once in a lifetime occurance. Maybe it was born partly out of necessity or timing rather than brilliant intelligence. My last thought - maybe Google should be trying to emulate the conditions under which the first ideas came (Stanford, research environment) rather than an engineer's paradise with free meals? Google is fostering an environment in which the next big idea is expected to sprout. What your post points out is that the time involved in waiting may be large, too large. It’s possible the original founders hitting upon their search idea was a once in a lifetime occurance. Maybe it was born partly out of necessity or timing rather than brilliant intelligence. My last thought – maybe Google should be trying to emulate the conditions under which the first ideas came (Stanford, research environment) rather than an engineer’s paradise with free meals?

]]> By: Glenn http://www.erica.biz/2006/the-technology-graveyard-is-littered-with-google-ideas/#comment-532 Glenn Thu, 22 Jun 2006 16:02:42 +0000 http://www.slashchick.com/?p=160#comment-532 Could Google just let their employees run each of these little side projects? It's the Google way to have a non-centralised, distributed architecture with all their technical systems, so why not in their business as well? If the number of projects keeps growing, 500 employees with their pet projects generating $200K a year each is $100 million, pretty soon you'll be talking real money. Could Google just let their employees run each of these little side projects? It’s the Google way to have a non-centralised, distributed architecture with all their technical systems, so why not in their business as well? If the number of projects keeps growing, 500 employees with their pet projects generating $200K a year each is $100 million, pretty soon you’ll be talking real money.

]]> By: Sean http://www.erica.biz/2006/the-technology-graveyard-is-littered-with-google-ideas/#comment-531 Sean Sat, 10 Jun 2006 17:06:35 +0000 http://www.slashchick.com/?p=160#comment-531 ^ ^ ..either "do no evil" or face developer disenfranchisement and attrition, that is. ^ ^ ..either “do no evil” or face developer disenfranchisement and attrition, that is.

]]> By: Sean http://www.erica.biz/2006/the-technology-graveyard-is-littered-with-google-ideas/#comment-530 Sean Sat, 10 Jun 2006 16:50:02 +0000 http://www.slashchick.com/?p=160#comment-530 It's as if Google labs' efforts are purely promotional, reguardless of what sticks. Given their giant brain collection, this is unfortunate because some of these might have better served the public as an independant start-up. Perhaps over time Google will either find a way to apply the "do no evil" rule here. Personally, I use more of their Labs' products than search (I search with clusty, which may use a google back-end for all I know). It’s as if Google labs’ efforts are purely promotional, reguardless of what sticks. Given their giant brain collection, this is unfortunate because some of these might have better served the public as an independant start-up. Perhaps over time Google will either find a way to apply the “do no evil” rule here.

Personally, I use more of their Labs’ products than search (I search with clusty, which may use a google back-end for all I know).

]]> By: Zone-MR http://www.erica.biz/2006/the-technology-graveyard-is-littered-with-google-ideas/#comment-529 Zone-MR Fri, 09 Jun 2006 23:37:18 +0000 http://www.slashchick.com/?p=160#comment-529 Google has so far been a great success story, and has consistently outperformed analyst predictions. While this is the case, shareholders are generally happy, and Google's leaders and employees are given a lot of freedom and very little scrutiny. However if at some point Google's rapid growth slows, profits drop, and share prices start diving, they will have to endure a lot of scrutiny from shareholders. At that point it will be hard to justify the money spent maintaining swimming pools for employees or servers for running Google Moon and Mars. At that point a lot of heads are likely to roll, and a lot of neat projects are likely to be culled. It'll be a great shame to watch them go. Google has so far been a great success story, and has consistently outperformed analyst predictions. While this is the case, shareholders are generally happy, and Google’s leaders and employees are given a lot of freedom and very little scrutiny.

However if at some point Google’s rapid growth slows, profits drop, and share prices start diving, they will have to endure a lot of scrutiny from shareholders. At that point it will be hard to justify the money spent maintaining swimming pools for employees or servers for running Google Moon and Mars. At that point a lot of heads are likely to roll, and a lot of neat projects are likely to be culled. It’ll be a great shame to watch them go.

]]> By: Jason MC http://www.erica.biz/2006/the-technology-graveyard-is-littered-with-google-ideas/#comment-528 Jason MC Mon, 05 Jun 2006 19:38:09 +0000 http://www.slashchick.com/?p=160#comment-528 Well, the Google strategy can be related to our changing society. We are turned into an "all or nothing" ideaology of thinking -- especially in competitive realms such as business. Everyone wants to create the "next big thing," instead of maintaining status quo or just being solid. People want to make their mark so that they gain status and a name for themselves, and this is not accomplished by being the "solid" worker bee. It would be interesting to see some "behind the scenes" details of one of these Google developers. In most schools (well, in Illinois anyway), if we create anything that could be profitable while under contract, it becomes property of the district. For example, if we create a great educational computer program and use it to better our students we cannot market it and sell it for individual profit -- it is property of the district. In addition, it would be interesting to see how much of the decision to cut the project is on the shoulders of the developer. If you have an idea for a project that will garner only medium interest, but you are excited about your next idea that can potentially be "it," which one do go for? Oh -- what do you think about ask.com's new marketing campaign? Have you seen anything of it -- they are totally slamming Google in it! Well, the Google strategy can be related to our changing society. We are turned into an “all or nothing” ideaology of thinking — especially in competitive realms such as business. Everyone wants to create the “next big thing,” instead of maintaining status quo or just being solid. People want to make their mark so that they gain status and a name for themselves, and this is not accomplished by being the “solid” worker bee.

It would be interesting to see some “behind the scenes” details of one of these Google developers. In most schools (well, in Illinois anyway), if we create anything that could be profitable while under contract, it becomes property of the district. For example, if we create a great educational computer program and use it to better our students we cannot market it and sell it for individual profit — it is property of the district.

In addition, it would be interesting to see how much of the decision to cut the project is on the shoulders of the developer. If you have an idea for a project that will garner only medium interest, but you are excited about your next idea that can potentially be “it,” which one do go for?

Oh — what do you think about ask.com’s new marketing campaign? Have you seen anything of it — they are totally slamming Google in it!

]]> By: TechnoLust http://www.erica.biz/2006/the-technology-graveyard-is-littered-with-google-ideas/#comment-527 TechnoLust Sun, 04 Jun 2006 21:16:22 +0000 http://www.slashchick.com/?p=160#comment-527 I have worked for Big Business and small businesses. I'd much rather work for a small business or at least a large company that still has the startup mentality. When a company becomes large, they usually start looking at the bottom line and ignoring everything else. Yes, they are in business to make money but looking exclusively at the bottom line is very short sighted. Take your example of something making only $200k a year. It might not be a big impact on the bottom line and the programmer supporting it MIGHT create something that makes $2M a year, or they might not. The things that will help the company more LONG TERM is that the employees are happy and the CUSTOMERS are happy. What happens when Google starts axing all these projects that customers are obviously using (those pageviews come from somewhere)? The customer now has to go somewhere else to find a similar tool. And if it's making money and then gets the axe, SOMEONE out there will provide a similar service and get those pageviews. So now someone is going to a non-google site for that service. This is NOT GOOD for Google. They are striving to be your one-stop shop on the net. Axing projects that are making money will drive people (both customers and employees) away and goes against this vision. If they start killing little projects like this, I'll be very surprised. (But I'll admit I'm wrong and you can rub it in my face.) ;-) I have worked for Big Business and small businesses. I’d much rather work for a small business or at least a large company that still has the startup mentality. When a company becomes large, they usually start looking at the bottom line and ignoring everything else. Yes, they are in business to make money but looking exclusively at the bottom line is very short sighted. Take your example of something making only $200k a year. It might not be a big impact on the bottom line and the programmer supporting it MIGHT create something that makes $2M a year, or they might not. The things that will help the company more LONG TERM is that the employees are happy and the CUSTOMERS are happy. What happens when Google starts axing all these projects that customers are obviously using (those pageviews come from somewhere)? The customer now has to go somewhere else to find a similar tool. And if it’s making money and then gets the axe, SOMEONE out there will provide a similar service and get those pageviews. So now someone is going to a non-google site for that service. This is NOT GOOD for Google. They are striving to be your one-stop shop on the net. Axing projects that are making money will drive people (both customers and employees) away and goes against this vision. If they start killing little projects like this, I’ll be very surprised. (But I’ll admit I’m wrong and you can rub it in my face.) ;-)

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