Linkcrafter.com – Blog

Jeff Jarvis is one the famous pop thinkers I  do admire. I read frequently his popular blog Buzzmachine. His thoughts on the future of journalism deeply influenced the design of the IRaaS Concept and Linkcrafter.com. But, I was confused and felt myself in disagreement  with Jeff recent book “What Would Google Do?“.

Jeff in this worshiping book to the glory of Google, makes a call to the rest of us to follow Google as an exemplar company.

I love Jeff, but he is just another victim of The halo effect, which is a tendency to make specific evaluation or conclusion based on a general impression, like when a company is growing and profitable, we tend to infer that it has a brilliant strategy, a visionary CEO, motivated people, and a vibrant culture.

If Google is such an exemplar company, why so many people, entrepreneurs and investors are so afraid of Google.

Even Warren Buffet, who admire the company, compared Google to “sharks and crocodiles” company “that no one can get near”. No one is getting near Google, but it’s Google which is going after everyone and is spreading fear all around.

To the question “who is afraid of Google?”, Kevin Kelleher of wired.com replied “Everyone”.

Today, when you call Google name in business circles, people are mixed with fright and a kind of admiration. Google want to dominate everything. The company is using its deep pocket from search advertising to storm and disrupt several industries and players:  newspapers, magazines, radio, television, mail, yellow pages, translation, office software, e-commerce, payment system, maps, mobile, video, books, classified, Wi-Fi, instant-messaging software, Print, Feed Reader, online Groups, blogs … The Sharks and Crocodiles company is spreading fear …

Sorry Jeff, if everyone behaves like Google, it will be the end of our civilized world. It’ll be the Leviathan world.

• Google used to copy small companies business and use its media power to push them out of market.
• Google used to create products that compete with people who like them.
• Google used put its own products and services at the top of the search results.
• Google is greedy, and is going after everyone business, creating panic and fear.
• Google makes humans feel small compared to their technology. Google guys do think people are dumb, and their technology is better than their small brain

Let, now, compare Google to Apple.

Apple builds a friendly ecosystem of myriad of small and big companies which actively collaborate to Apple’s value creation to its customers.

For example, there is big money to make in accessories business for Ipod, Iphone, etc. Instead of going after this market,  Apple let myriad of small businesses serve its clients. Apple ecosystem is different and Apple has successfully built a community around its brand, where Google is attracting more and more detractors.

Apple Ecosystem

Instead of “What would Google do?”, Jeff Jarvis should have written “What Would Apple Do?”.