A series of private documents reveals Twitter to be a company that’s very careful and detailed about the course it’s plotting, while simultaneously being very nervous and very ambitious about what the future holds. It also reveals previously unknown details of discussions with Google and Microsoft (and possibly Yahoo) that show Twitter considering formal relationships […]
TechCrunch reported late last night that Twitter was in late stage talks to be acquired by Google. That sent what used to be called the “blogosphere” into a frenzy. Kara Swisher, of AllThingsD, striking back against what she believes was sloppy journalism (and TechCrunch more generally), said no: In fact, Twitter and Google have simply […]
Google: 1 Million Advertisers in 2007, More Now from the New York Times reports that Google has reported in their latest SEC filing that they have one million advertisers as of 2007. Now, that number is likely a lot more now, in 2009. An analyst from UBS estimated Google has between 1.3 million and 1.5 […]
Many in the search industry expect online advertising to take a smaller hit (if any) from the struggling economy than other types of advertising. But that view isn’t shared by all. According to AdAge today, some analysts think online advertising is as vulnerable as other sectors:
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Google has finally filled the CFO spot being vacated by George Reyes, the outgoing CFO who has been with the company since roughly 2002 (pre-IPO). The new CFO (and SVP) is Patrick Pichette, who was President of Operations at Bell Canada.
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Google is experiencing some bumps in transitioning from a smaller innovator to a larger, more mature player in the market. Over the past year or so there have been numerous employee departures, often to start new companies themselves or to join what used to be called “pre-IPO” startups (e.g., Facebook). The most recent case involves […]
At one point or another, most of the big online media companies have talked about buying Facebook. Yahoo is rumored to have made an early offer of almost $1 billion for the company, which was (obviously) turned down. But as the MicroHoo discussions appeared to be deteriorating, Microsoft apparently made some formal inquiries about Facebook’s […]
With two high-ranking Google executives leaving the Big G within a month’s time, I thought it would be interesting to go back through Google’s executive management page over the years and see how it reflects changes among the higher-ups. Below, there are a series of tables and commentary that hopefully let you understand the shifting […]
Word is from John Furrier that Google Chief Information Officer Douglas Merrill is leaving the company to become president of EMI. News.com has confirmation of his departure from Google and says sources also say he’s going to EMI. The New York Times also has sources saying he’s headed to the music company. Merrill’s departure (recently […]
Today in Search Biz: News Corp isn’t throwing Yahoo a life preserver to fend off Microsoft. Ask loses a (small) paid search partner and gets competition for those women it now says it’s not really that focused on (sort of). Google’s stock hits a new low, but will it plunge below $400? Facebook founder Mark […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Last week I spent about an hour and a half at Google’s New York offices talking to John Burke, Director of Industry Development and Marketing. Burke works for Tim Armstrong and has been at Google since 2002 (read: pre-IPO). He seems as enthusiastic as ever about the place. My intention was to discuss some of […]
Google CEO, Co-Founders Made Long-Term Promise from the Wall Street Journal reports Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and Google’s CEO, Eric Schmidt, said they would work together until the year 2024. Google spokesperson Jon Murchinson told the Wall Street Journal that the “informal pact” between the three top Googlers was made one month […]
This Sunday night, one of the “60 Minutes” segments on CBS will feature an interview with Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. There’s a snippet of the interview on the CBS website together with an article that previews the segment. In the video excerpt of the interview Zuckerberg looks uncomfortable as Lesley Stahl asks him […]
Baidu.com says CFO killed in China accident from the AFP reports Shawn Wang, Baidu’s CFO, died on December 27. Wang was in a fatal accident during a holiday vacation in China. He joined Baidu in 2004 and helped Baidu with their extremely successful IPO and NASDAQ listing.
In August, Google CFO George Reyes announced that he was retiring. Reyes joined Google in 2002 and was the executive who helped the company through its IPO and subsequent growth. Forbes now estimates his stock is worth more than $200 million. The same article in Forbes also speculates that Google may have some trouble replacing […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal both report on the IPO and first day of trading for Alibaba.com. The offering was the biggest IPO by any Chinese company and raised an estimated $2 billion. The market capitalization of the company is now nearly $26 billion. Yahoo owns 39 percent of Alibaba Group, […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
I’m still on vacation, but catching up on my reading, I see that Facebook is "years away" from going public, said founder Mark Zuckerberg last week. I also see Facebook will have more than 700 employees next year, in 2008. So, like Google and Microsoft, it’ll be forced to IPO against its will sometime next […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
In what is widely expected to be the biggest technology IPO since Google and the biggest Internet IPO by a Chinese firm, Alibaba.com is ready to sell just over 850 million shares on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Those shares could fetch as much as $1.49 billion. Yahoo owns 39 percent of Alibaba Group, the […]
First it was Yahoo vs. Google, then it became Google vs. Microsoft, and now it’s Google vs. Facebook. People love drama and journalists in particular seek to tell dramatic stories with uncertain outcomes. Regarding this most recent drama (Google vs. Facebook), Fortune magazine’s Josh Quittner writes about “Why Google is spooked by Facebook and would […]
Only weeks ago, InfoSpace sold Switchboard and its local/directory business to Idearc/Superpages for a reported $225 million. Today, Motricity announced that it had acquired the company’s mobile services business for $135 million. Motricity wants the business for the revenues and carrier relationships and to tell a better story to the market as it moves toward […]
According to various reports, Yahoo is going to buy either a 10 percent stake or $100 million worth of the forthcoming public offering of B2B site Alibaba.com on the Hong Kong exchange. The company already owns a significant minority stake (39 percent) of Alibaba Group, the parent of Alibaba.com. It would be buying a stake […]
Google Finance Chief to Resign from the Wall Street Journal reports that Google CFO George Reyes has announced he is resigning from Google. A press release is also now up. Reyes, who joined Google in 2002 and before its IPO, is only the second major Google executive to leave Google. Cindy McCaffrey, the former VP […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Web search IPO stalls on underwriter doubts from CNN Money reports that Accoona’s expected $80.5 million IPO has failed due to their underwriter backing out. Maxim Group, their underwriter, backed out after completing an in-depth review of the company. The New York Times reported Edward L. Rose, the firm’s vice chairman and general counsel for […]
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.
Via PaidContent.org, Accoona Files for IPO from the Associated Press reports that Accoona has filed to go public, with an estimated IPO price of $80.5 million. Accoona hopes to list their stock as “ACNA” on the NASDAQ. The AP reports Accoona’s three business lines as online-lead generation, an online search engine in the U.S., Europe […]
Listen up, HR managers, there’s a fresh crop of search employees on the block. iCrossing commenced a round of layoffs this week. Rumor has it that the new CFO, Michael Jackson, is not driving continued growth, but cutting the fat based on profitability of offices and accounts. As of this morning, 20-30 employees have been […]
Back at the beginning of this year, my 14 "Is Google Evil?" Tipping Points Since 2001 covered the history of how Google has been deemed to be too Big Brotherish or too dominant over the years. Another wave of Google hatred and fear is washing across the great sea of Blog. Here’s a look at […]
Virgin Mobile USA, which has been working since December with private-label mobile search provider JumpTap, announced that it would add now add local mobile search. Users will be able to type a query and their zip, city or state to get local information. Both search functionality and local content on mobile devices are core, strategic […]
YouTube’s Payoff: Hundreds of Millions for the Founders at the New York Times reports that Google released some of the details of the acquisition costs for YouTube. From the US Securities & Exchange Commission filing, we learned how much the founders actually made in the deal and the VC company behind YouTube made from the […]
How Yahoo Blew It by Wired, tells the story of Yahoo’s failures over the past years. The article starts off explaining that Yahoo could of bought Google, but Google turned down the $3 billion offer made by Yahoo. The article then summarizes Google recent success after their IPO and says, “And what must infuriate Semel: […]
Google — officially the best place to work. So says the latest survey from Fortune. But then again, Google’s got to keep the standards high as pre-IPO employees leave. A San Francisco Chronicle article also out covers how one-third of Google’s first 300 employees have gone, along with some comments on the culture getting more […]
There's growing concern about the type of company Google is becoming. Yet Google's has survived these "tipping points" so far.