Guess what is the fastest growing extreme sport in Silicon Valley – grousing about Google. The New York Times story mentions how they are sucking about all the talent from the market, causing hike in salaries and well soon inflate the Silicon Valley housing prices even higher. I found it amusing that people are comparing Microsoft to IBM. (Not that there is anything wrong with it!)
What I found most amusing about the piece were the folks who were grumbling – these are the same guys who hit a few homeruns on their way to Atherton. Just like them, people who are joining Google are watching out for number one. Lets take this in a more reasonable manner. You are a hotshot engineer who doesn’t want to design chips, write security software or design wireless systems. You have few choices.
You can work at one of the many so-called Web 2.0 start-ups, which have little or no chance of going public. The best-case scenario is an exit via acquisition by one of the four search companies. In other words, you “Mr/Ms. Employee” have better odds at the next World Series of Poker. And then there is Google – where you can get good money, and great food. (Lets leave out the whole option thing, because who knows which way the stock is flowing!)
What do you expect a guy with PH.D to do? If the choice was between a photo/slide show start-up or a cash-rich giant building a singularity machine, you know where people will go. The third option, of course is start your own company, and if you are a hot-code-jock, like Andy Rubin, well, Google is going to buy you anyway. In other words, they worship talent enough to spend millions on that talent. Sort of like Hollywood – James Cameron meets Leo DiCaprio and Kate Hudson Winslet – and hits.
Another complaint – arrogance. Oh hello…. This is Silicon Valley. Netscape anyone? Excite perhaps? Spend enough years hanging around SV, and you kind of expect the hubris, because that’s just how the way it is. Reminds me of that wonderful song from the great American classic, The Lion King. How did that go … Circle of Life!
Grouse about Google, however it would be better if the focus was on how big-and-powerful gatekeeper they are actually becoming and the influence they will wield on our lives. That’s something I am willing to grouse about as well.
It’s Winslet, Kate Winslet, but I catch you’re meaning. Nice grouse analysis.
It’s very simple: If they’re pissed about Google hiring all the talent, offer more pay/benefits/whatever to draw them to you. Don’t hate google just because they’re doing well. Sheesh.
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I somehow think they are gradually getting away from their core competency “search” and their cash cow – paid text links.
Its amazing no one in media talked much about the big adword change that went live last week which has a real chance of affecting their bottom line – instead everyone were busy writing about the desktop and now google talk 🙂
With each passing day, American business executives become even more pussified.
Really these people bitch and moan about anything. The bigboys are ALWAYS begging Washington for more freebies, and now the bitching disease is spreading to the rollup the sleeves crowd.
Entreprenuers solve problems. period.
If your VC, or even worse, your mgt is a bunch of whiners, perhaps they should be fired. posuers. vbg!!!
PS. VoIP, looks like the end game is near.
Vonage is filing for an IPO, and Yahoo confirms rumors they’ve been talking to Skype (was it really ~$3B, that can’t be….)
When people were saying that now it’s the best time to start internet companies, perhaps even better than in 97, due to higher broadband internet/penetration, and the abundance of the engineering talent after the crash, they did not take one thing into account. In 97 there was no monopoly player, like Google is becoming now.
Remember how obviously useless it has become start a company to make windows programs by say 97? I am afraid that this is happening to the internet right now.
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