The “Is Google Too Powerful” Question Raised Once Again

Mar 30, 2007 at 10:30am ET by Barry Schwartz

Is Google Too Powerful? from BusinessWeek is a fresh look at an old topic on Google’s continued growth and power. A key part of the BusinessWeek’s article:

Googlezon, GoogleWorld, just plain Google—whatever you call it, it’s scaring the wits out of everyone from the power lunchers of Hollywood to Madison Avenue ad moguls to Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. Now, after years of hand-wringing and thumb-twiddling, some of them are pulling out the heavy artillery and firing one round after another on the Googleplex, the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.

Articles about whether Google is too powerful aren’t new. We’ve had them over the years, as Danny’s 14 “Is Google Evil?” Tipping Points Since 2001 explains.

Probably the main spark for the latest round of these “Is Google Too Powerful” articles that are beginning again is the Hollywood pushback against Google in the form of Viacom’s copyright lawsuit against YouTube and the NBC & News Corp “NewTube” video distribution network in the works.

Expect a lot of discussion from the blogosphere on this BusinessWeek write up. Track it over at Techmeme.com.

Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land's News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry's personal blog is named Cartoon Barry and he can be followed on Twitter here.

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6 COMMENTS ON The “Is Google Too Powerful” Question Raised Once Again

SEOrefugee, March 30th, 2007 at 11:09 am ET:

In my mind, there are two Google’s. The search one that tries to improve search and offers new and often helpful features for those searches. Then of course there’s the AdWords/AdSense money grubbing greedy corporation that will do anything it can to bring in more revenue and meet Wallstreet’s projections. It’s a bit of a tug-of-war act and I think lately, the latter of the two has been winning.

Check out Gevil.org for more Google is Evil info.

gil, March 30th, 2007 at 5:02 pm ET:

I wish the BW article focused more on analyzing Googlezon…I think that is a realistic possibility, at least as a partnership
(blogged about exactly that on NextBlitz few weeks ago)

Teddie, March 31st, 2007 at 3:36 pm ET:

Look out for the e-consultancy.com UK Search Engine Benchmark Report, soon to be released. I have seen the preview stats, and over 500 clients and agencies have responded to a question relating to Googles dominant market share and whether or not this is perceived as a risk to their businesses.

Teddie, March 31st, 2007 at 3:42 pm ET:

ps, Danny - spotted you on the back page of Fast Company ;-) I reckon Donna had you dude, I’d have stretched your argument beyond the adsense network in order to win that one.

Seth Finkelstein, March 31st, 2007 at 10:35 pm ET:

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” — Lord Acton

oldschoolseo, April 5th, 2007 at 10:57 am ET:

With all of the data Google has on all of us (collected through their various services as well as acquisitions), it reminds me of when people would try and figure out how much data AOL had collected from sending out millions of CD’s offering “free” service. I say “free” because there was a cost associated and many missed that - the cost was “selling” your information to them in exchange for a service.

For the time being, Google seems to be managing this data well, but no one really knows what the future holds. Perhaps they could amass more information on people than the government has? (and of course, the government is watching them closely).

Lastly, I commend Big G for continuing to offer the best in search - which lead them to be the trusted leader in “everything search related” which is why they are now so powerful.

My question is “how much of what they are today, was truly planned (or envisioned), and how much evolved with the market?”

- OldSchool

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