EU preparing to call for a breakup of Google!!

[Jas00555]

European parliament preparing to call for Google break-up: FT

:O

 

[squire777]

It's about time they looked into companies other than Microsoft for this type of activity.

 

[a5cent]

What would this mean for Google's other products and services? How many of those have any hope of surviving without being subsidized? Search is by far Google's biggest money earner so that is safe. YouTube might be okay, but I don't know for sure. AFAIK everything else would be in a lot of trouble. Last I heard even Android would be in danger, as development cost's aren't covered merely by app store revenue.

 

[a5cent]

It's about time they looked into companies other than Microsoft for this type of activity.

For all of Europe, MS was required to show Windows users a dialog, prompting them to choose their preferred browser, rather than just default to IE. I realize that fair treatment is not really the issue here, but if it was, then Google should be required to do the same, meaning Android device owners, during initial setup, would be prompted to choose which services they want to use, all of which would have to be put on equal footing in terms of OS integration. I'm not sure if Android could retain Google's interest under such circumstances.

I'm not saying this is what I'd like to see happen. It's just a thought experiment portraying what would happen if both companies were treated in the same way.

 

[Jas00555]

What would this mean for Google's other products and services? How many of those have any hope of surviving without being subsidized? Search is by far Google's biggest money earner so that is safe. YouTube might be okay, but I don't know for sure. AFAIK everything else would be in a lot of trouble. Last I heard even Android would be in danger, as development cost's aren't covered merely by app store revenue.

I was going to answer this, but I think you may have answered it yourself with...

For all of Europe, MS was required to show Windows users a dialog, prompting them to choose their preferred browser, rather than just default to IE. I realize that fair treatment is not really the issue here, but if it was, then Google should be required to do the same, meaning Android device owners, during initial setup, would be prompted to choose which services they want to use, all of which would have to be put on equal footing in terms of OS integration. I'm not sure if Android could retain Google's interest under such circumstances.

I'm not saying this is what I'd like to see happen. It's just a thought experiment portraying what would happen if both companies were treated in the same way.

Pretty much this.

Without advantages in integration and being able to push those services, they become much less valuable to Google. If it were broken up into say... Search as one company and everything else as another, then without the interest of Google for user data, this other company would have to find additional sources of income. That could very well mean that since Gmail, maps, etc... Will remain free (because they're basically free industry wide), then the only real sources of income would be Android and YouTube. They'll have to grow faster than YouTube itself, which would probably mean that Android will become a paid product. I mean, I guess it doesn't HAVE to, but to gain investor support, they'll need it, since they won't have Sugar Daddy Google to subsidize the costs.

I mean really, the possibilities are endless. Will we be able to sign into the play store with Microsoft accounts? Or yahoo? Facebook? Will we have to make Android accounts? If they don't make money from Android, how will they pay the engineers? Will they have to fire them? That would slow down innovation in Android to the point that Android 6.0 could basically be iOS 5 to iOS 6 unless the open source community really steps their game up. Without that speed, Microsoft could make WP a much better experience than Android within a couple years.

I remember a few months ago, a commenter let us know his theory about how Android development could slow down to a halt if Google loses interest. I think you read it too since you quoted it. It looks like those plans could he accelerated.

Fascinating times we live in.

 

[a5cent]

I was going to answer this, but I think you may have answered it yourself with...

In my first post I was asking if anybody had some substantiated financial information, listing profits for each of Google's individual endeavors before subsidizations. That would show us not only which divisions would be in trouble, but also the extent of the shortfalls. I looked around the net but couldn't find anything, and thought somebody might know.

 

[Jas00555]

In my first post I was asking if anybody had some substantiated financial information, listing profits for each of Google's individual endeavors before subsidizations. That would show us not only which divisions would be in trouble, but also the extent of the shortfalls. I looked around the net but couldn't find anything, and thought somebody might know.

I think the problem is that no one knows. On all of their earnings reports, it's literally search and "other" and that's all they say, so really only Google knows.

 

[a5cent]

I think the problem is that no one knows. On all of their earnings reports, it's literally search and "other" and that's all they say, so really only Google knows.

Yeah, probably true, ... where are the Google fans when you need them ;-)

 

[Jas00555]

Yeah, probably true, ... where are the Google fans when you need them ;-)

They're setting things on fire over at Android central lol

 

[EBUK]

The EU is calling for the break up of an American company?

What would happen if the US called for the break up of a European company?

I think you've worked out what's going to happen... Sweet Fanny Adams, as we say here in the UK.

 

[someone2639]

Now, I'll tip the EU to give Android to MS. /h (end of humor)

 

[a5cent]

The EU is calling for the break up of an American company?

What would happen if the US called for the break up of a European company?

I think you've worked out what's going to happen... Sweet Fanny Adams, as we say here in the UK.

Google is not just a U.S. company. Google is a multinational company. Amongst other things, Google's web crawling technologies and much of Google's maps are developed just 20 minutes away from where I live, here in Z?rich, Switzerland. More importantly, a lot of Google's revenues are generated outside the U.S., a lot of which does come from the EU, and the EU does have something to say about that.

It's not that simple. You're obviously right that the EU can't really split up the entire company, but that they are completely powerless isn't correct either.

Off topic edit:
Hmm... now that I think about it, I wonder if Google running their search quality projects outside the U.S. in their very international Z?rich offices, is one of the reasons why their non-English/non-U.S. search results are so much better than Bing's?

 

[rudinesbitt]

Even if the EU manages to pass legislation that would force Google to break up, Google would no doubt fight tooth and nail in courts to stop it from happening. They would probably end up spending years fighting which would give google time to find either a loophole or an alternative that doesn't compromise their services or revenue.

 

[someone2639]

I'm not saying this should happen, I'm saying that Google services could come to WP.

 

[Jas00555]

Looks like the vote has passed. Now it's up to the EU commission

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/...ro-in-on-internet-search-companies-and-clouds

 

[jonnaver]

Good. Then other American tech companies will be more encouraged to invest in Europe after this, Spain's "link tax", and the EU right to be forgotten censorship legislation. I can see US tech companies lining up to invest in Europe after these well thought out luddite policies and political tactics. I'm all for the EU movement to censor and control the internet and technology.

/sarcasm

 

[a5cent]

Good. Then other American tech companies will be more encouraged to invest in Europe after this, Spain's "link tax", and the EU right to be forgotten censorship legislation. I can see US tech companies lining up to invest in Europe after these well thought out luddite policies and political tactics. I'm all for the EU movement to censor and control the internet and technology.
/sarcasm

If you think that is crazy and corrupt, you need only study the situation on net neutrality in the U.S. This little EU/Google squabble is small potatos and virtually harmless in comparison. Few governments seem capable of representing their citizens these days. It's almost always about protectionism and corporate welfare. At least here, there is still an ounce of truth involved, as Google actually does own a potentially dangerous monopoly on search in the EU (which already has been misused) , despite that likely not being the real reason for the EU's actions.

 

[jonnaver]

If you think that is crazy and corrupt, you need only study the situation on net neutrality in the U.S. This little EU/Google squabble is small potato's and virtually harmless in comparison. Few governments seem capable of representing their citizens these days. It's almost always about protectionism and corporate welfare. At least here, there is still an ounce of truth involved, as Google actually does own a potentially dangerous monopoly on search in the EU (which already has been misused) , despite that likely not being the real reason for the EU's actions.

No argument here. Personally I find people who would trumpet in favor of draconian government regulation just because it's a platform they dislike disgraceful and woefully ignorant to put it mildly.