Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Which tech giants will still be around after 100 years?

economist.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 70 posts

Re: Which tech giants will still be around after 100 years?

#41

Post by edtechre »

edtechre wrote: post #40

Facebook lasting a hundred years? WHAT?! I hardly see Facebook as being in the same league as technology companies like Google, Apple, and Amazon. In fact, I don't really see Facebook as much of a technology company at all, at least in comparison to those I mentioned. I wonder if the author would have said the same thing about Myspace 5 years ago. I bet he would have.

And by technology company I mean:

Hardware (Apple, Amazon) OS (Apple, Google) Cloud services (Google, Amazon, Apple) Web services like email, maps, search (Google)

Facebook has a very large user base. Whoopee. But does that mean staying power? Nope. Just ask Myspace, Yahoo, and countless dot bomb companies. You need to invest in R&D, become a technology provider, and succeed in more than one market. Beyond social networking, what does Facebook have?

This is a horrible article, especially by the Economist's standards.

Re: Which tech giants will still be around after 100 years?

#42

Post by [deleted] »

edtechre wrote: post #40

Facebook lasting a hundred years? WHAT?! I hardly see Facebook as being in the same league as technology companies like Google, Apple, and Amazon. In fact, I don't really see Facebook as much of a technology company at all, at least in comparison to those I mentioned. I wonder if the author would have said the same thing about Myspace 5 years ago. I bet he would have.

[deleted]

Re: Which tech giants will still be around after 100 years?

#44

Post by josephmosby »

edtechre wrote: post #43
josephmosby wrote: post #36

Intel? I always think of them as the bread and butter of IT. Only 45 more years and they'll be a centennial company.

Not if ARM processors continue to gain ground.

But Intel is an ARM licensee through DEC. They've been making ARM processors through the DEC channel for years now.

Re: Which tech giants will still be around after 100 years?

#46

Post by edtechre »

josephmosby wrote: post #44
edtechre wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not if ARM processors continue to gain ground.

But Intel is an ARM licensee through DEC. They've been making ARM processors through the DEC channel for years now.

Let me clarify: competing ARM processors :)

Chances are it's not an Intel CPU you're using in your smart phone, tablet, or game console.

Re: Which tech giants will still be around after 100 years?

#47

Post by crdoconnor »

DavidAdams wrote: post #30
rospaya wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is your problem with the Economist?

I'm a fan of The Economist, but their big flaw is similar to Consumer Reports' problem: when they focus on their core competency (Economist: geopolitics and finance; CR: rating home appliances) they're the gold standard. But when they venture outside, such as this case of trying to give a quick overview of what makes a technology company successful over the long term, it's obvious that they're out of their depth. Sim…

Their reporting on geopolitics and finance can be very sketchy at times, too - support for the Iraq war and George Bush, for instance.

Or, in the developing world, their near religious insistence that trade liberalization will solve damn near everything.

Re: Which tech giants will still be around after 100 years?

#48

Post by lachlanj »

Terrible Article, I am surprised to see the from The Economist. It seems like they just want to name drop the most popular tech companies of late.

Facebook has just as much chance of disappearing in 5 years as it does of being around in 100 year.

Google probably has a better chance than any of these companies of being around in 100 years, they are in the oldest industry of all time. Advertising. Plus they have shown they are willing to invest in new technologies to stay current, ala self driving cars.

Amazon has massive potential, but by no means are they guaranteed.

Apple, Google and Microsoft all have ridiculous piles of cash, provided they don't make any stupid big bets, all of these companies will easily be here for the next 100 years just on these cash piles alone.

Re: Which tech giants will still be around after 100 years?

#50

Post by flocial »

We're still defining IT. The building blocks are the same from card-punching days but what we've built on top of that foundation is light years ahead and evolving faster. Information technology has the most potential to displace or swallow other industries and even redefine the human race. The survival of Google or Apple as a going concern seems pretty immaterial in that context.
Post reply on HN