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Fitbit is doomed: Here's why everything Google buys turns to garbage (2019)

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11–20 of 81 posts

Re: Fitbit is doomed: Here's why everything Google buys turns to garbage (2019)

#11

To me, Google seems like a company completely run by engineers, and perhaps these techies in their silos compete so much, that they do want to "integrate" their stuff with broader teams. Like say, Waze team does not want it's features integrated into GMaps. How else is there so little order? A complete opposite of Apple it seems.

Google is very much a company run by PMs. It's just the PMs are rewarded for launching products, and not maintaining them. In other words, the larger the Google graveyard, the more bonuses are being handed out. People are doing what they're being incentivized to do. Google's culture is fundamentally broken. I don't think it's possible for them to fix this. I'll probably take a short position on Google in the medium f…

I wouldn't take a short position in a company based on the frequent closure of trivial, money-losing sub-ventures, especially if their main money-making businesses were healthy and growing. It'd be like shorting Apple based on the poor performance of the XServe business in 2009.

Also, it can be really expensive to hold on to a short position for a long time so it might not be a good idea even if there were more substantial reasons to take one.

Re: Fitbit is doomed: Here's why everything Google buys turns to garbage (2019)

#12
post #5

I'd love to know the internal strategy, assuming there is any. Because my first question before allowing a FitBit acquisition would be, "how do I know you're not just going to soon abandon your new toy, as was done with WearOS?" I mean, Google had a serviceable OS, that they just seem to have given up on.

Strangely, Samsung is toying with the idea of switching to WearOS in their new Galaxy 4 watch. I did buy a Galaxy 3, and even though I own a Galaxy phone, I did not like the experience and eventually returned the watch. I was optimistic about the possibility of a new OS on the 4th gen, until I looked into the current state of WearOS. I would like to imagine that google might use some of their newly acquired talent and IP to revamp WearOS in time for the launch of the Galaxy 4, but I am not holding my breath.

https://www.tomsguide.com/news/samsung-galaxy-watch-4-switch...

Re: Fitbit is doomed: Here's why everything Google buys turns to garbage (2019)

#14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google is very much a company run by PMs. It's just the PMs are rewarded for launching products, and not maintaining them. In other words, the larger the Google graveyard, the more bonuses are being handed out. People are doing what they're being incentivized to do. Google's culture is fundamentally broken. I don't think it's possible for them to fix this. I'll probably take a short position on Google in the medium f…

I wouldn't take a short position in a company based on the frequent closure of trivial, money-losing sub-ventures, especially if their main money-making businesses were healthy and growing. It'd be like shorting Apple based on the poor performance of the XServe business in 2009. Also, it can be really expensive to hold on to a short position for a long time so it might not be a good idea even if there were more subst…

Especially when they have tons of counter examples: Android, Youtube, Gmail, Docs, Drive (and all the educational contracts those include), Cloud... I'd be willing to bet that if I wanted to use the Internet and not interact with Google I probably couldn't do it for long. At the very least I'm willing to bet that some organization I need to interact with is using Gmail for Business.

Re: Fitbit is doomed: Here's why everything Google buys turns to garbage (2019)

#15

What a weird hit piece. The counterpoints are... legion. Youtube? Doubleclick? Android?

I'm not sure that phrase fits with your examples. Google has some products it has purchased that are doing well. But... Only a small number compared to the things they have purchased that they killed. Such that the legion is likely on the other side. Now, they have some behemoths that they bought.

The general feeling I get, is if a product I have bought had the parent company change hands, I can expect greatly diminished support.

With Google, it is super frustrating. They seem to gas light products/markets, and then just walk away when the initial flare up doesn't immediately take off. I liken it to trying to make a camp fire by just throwing kindling at the fire pit and then not doing anything else.

Re: Fitbit is doomed: Here's why everything Google buys turns to garbage (2019)

#20
post #19

Here's why it doesn't matter that most things that Google buys turn into Garbage: Android. People just really can't get their heads around a high risk / high reward investment strategy.

...and YouTube

...and Applied Semantics

https://digiday.com/media/today-in-history-google-buys-appli...

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