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Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

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Re: Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

#111

Post by Sebb767 »

blibble wrote: post #74
idontwantthis wrote: post #5

I don’t think comparing IBM to Microsoft is fair or accurate. Microsoft is incredibly relevant and valuable today, many years after ending its antitrust investigation.

20 years ago MS had total dominance over the computer industry (like IBM 20 years before that) now MS aren't even trendsetter, but they are still raking in the cash they are pretty much exactly where IBM was 20 years ago

Google hasn't been a trendsetter for a few years now, either (unless you count enforcing web standards with Chrome). Also, calling "relevant industry giant making heaps of money" a failure scenario is quite a stretch.

Re: Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

#112

Post by Sebb767 »

_fat_santa wrote: post #23

I made this comment in another thread but I can't decide if LLM / GPT is a seismic shift in search or just a gimmick. I remember when Copilot came out last year and everyone was up in arms about how it will replace most developers, then the chatter quickly died when people realized that it's not that great outside a few specific scenarios, it just looked like it could kill the SWE industry from people that haven't be…

> it however will be baked into almost every search engine and allow an "alternative" way to search the web, where you get answers to simple questions right away without having to go to a website.

That's what Google does quite a lot already anyway. The difference is that Google directly cites its source and offers alternative links - which is necessary, since if you need to verify the answer with a Google search, you might as well skip asking ChatGPT (or an equivalent) beforehand.

Since ChatGPT is fundamentally trained to do a different thing (word completion), I have a hard time imagining that you can sufficiently coax it into replacing an actual search. But we will see.

Re: Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

#113

Post by groby_b »

codalan wrote: post #108
barbazoo wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would you prefer? Anonymous payments? And regardless of payment method, how would you avoid creating an account to tie the payment to?

Payment via digital gift cards sold on Amazon, e.g. Mullvad Granted, this would probably be a very miniscule amount of their users.

That's not how businesses process payment. Any responsible finance department will call a hard no on that. (And from a consumer side, asking to pay with a gift card is usually a huge red flag that a scam is incoming)

Re: Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

#114

Post by quantified »

lordnacho wrote: post #46
jchw wrote: post #14

Google is probably screwed without it. Even if ad-tech isn't exactly a bubble, I strongly believe it is overvalued even still. Furthermore, the product that made their name is thoroughly lost. I dread Google Search today. If I found something on Google yesterday, I have no idea if I'll be able to locate it through the sea of blog SPAM and SEO garbage tomorrow. Google web search strongly favors big websites when somet…

I use search for coding a lot, and lately I've noticed it's hard to find what I'm after. If I'm looking for some small thing like what an sftp command looks like, I don't want an SEO essay about why SSH is great and we should all use encryption. I just want the example line. This seems to be what ChatGPT can give me. It doesn't always work, but it also doesn't beat around the bush.

Yet.

Re: Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

#115

Post by willcipriano »

groby_b wrote: post #113
codalan wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Payment via digital gift cards sold on Amazon, e.g. Mullvad Granted, this would probably be a very miniscule amount of their users.

That's not how businesses process payment. Any responsible finance department will call a hard no on that. (And from a consumer side, asking to pay with a gift card is usually a huge red flag that a scam is incoming)

I believe they mean a gift card for their service, as in they should offer gift cards. Not send us $50 worth of Google Play gift cards.

https://www.amazon.com/Mullvad-VPN-Devices-Protect-Security/...

Re: Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

#116

Post by labrador »

jefftk wrote: post #84
labrador wrote: post #2

I tried to imagine an ad in chat output by asking ChatGPT a question and then making up an ad: Q: What is superglue? A: Super glue, also known as cyanoacrylate, is a type of adhesive that forms a strong bond quickly and can be used on a variety of surfaces. It is often used for small repairs, such as broken ceramics or toys, and can also be used in crafts and other projects. Super glue is available in liquid or gel f…

Then they'd need sponsored content disclosures.

I remembered it wasn't Joe Franklin, it was Paul Harvey that blended ads and content. I don't recall him giving any disclosures which is why I didn't like his radio talk show.

Re: Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

#117

Post by bluepoint »

randmeerkat wrote: post #42
smallerfish wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Almost a meme at this point: > I am not trying to suggest Duck Duck Go or Bing are actually better overall Kagi is, however. Well worth putting your money where your mouth is and supporting them.

So, I googled Kagi, found their link… Not only is it required to create an account to use their service, they want a credit card to bill as well! Hard pass.

Are you sure about the credit card? I signed up without one. There is a free option.

Re: Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

#118

Post by footlose_3815 »

jchw wrote: post #14

Google is probably screwed without it. Even if ad-tech isn't exactly a bubble, I strongly believe it is overvalued even still. Furthermore, the product that made their name is thoroughly lost. I dread Google Search today. If I found something on Google yesterday, I have no idea if I'll be able to locate it through the sea of blog SPAM and SEO garbage tomorrow. Google web search strongly favors big websites when somet…

Devil's advocate, lots of Google services are 100% benevolent. Like Google Open Fonts. Did you know most of the font licenses packaged with Windows, you're not even allowed to package them into a game?

Re: Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

#119

Post by daqhris »

smoldesu wrote: post #4

But Alphabet will probably be fine. YouTube and Android are still billion-user products that aren't being displaced with AI, and their advertising business doesn't seem threatened much by this either. So what's the scoop? I use ChatGPT, it hasn't replaced my search engine. They're insisting that search is obsoleted with AI (and Google is spooked internally) but I have yet to see any research-based evidence supporting…

No tech invention ever kicked out the previous iteration. Google and ChatGPT will co-exist. Same way faxes are still alive even if mobile telephony conquered the world.

What will happen is that new use cases will be set in place. Some people might head to Google for diversity of results. Others will prefer ChatGPT for one single search result.

In my opinion, only the "I'm feeling lucky" function on Google will be challenged or replaced.

How can a tech journalist imagine that noobs will modify the default search engine on their Chrome browser and Android smartphones? These guys are not realistic.

Re: Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

#120

Post by danjoredd »

Karunamon wrote: post #103
barbazoo wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Their founder is also on record as "down ranking misinformation" https://mashable.com/article/duckduckgo-search-engine-russia...

Also here, straight from the horse's mouth: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33247856 The sketchy and indirect way they engage with this criticism put me off of ever trusting DDG.

If you are into self-hosting, I hear Searx is pretty good. Been thinking on setting that up on my personal server so I can just stop relying on companies
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