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Google Creates Blockchain Unit, Hires New ‘Founding Leader’

blockworks.co

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Re: Google Creates Blockchain Unit, Hires New ‘Founding Leader’

#111

Post by danielmarkbruce »

tyingq wrote: post #82
danielmarkbruce wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google is almost a 2 trillion market cap company. Docusign is 20 bill. If some exec inside Google suggested building a team to "squash docusign" they'd be... silly.. and recognized as such.

Not sure I understand this. Google, for example, routinely does acquisitions well under a $20B level to enter a new market. Apigee might be a good example. Perhaps you meant too small to occupy the entire new "Blockchain Unit"? Perhaps, but I assume they would be working on several things rather than just one.

Sure, but the goal of the acquisition is to help/kickstart something worth significantly more than that. Apigee was rolled into google cloud - that's a space worth trillions.

Docusign has a big share of the e-signature market. The market itself just isn't very big (by google standards).

Re: Google Creates Blockchain Unit, Hires New ‘Founding Leader’

#112

Post by tyingq »

danielmarkbruce wrote: post #111
tyingq wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure I understand this. Google, for example, routinely does acquisitions well under a $20B level to enter a new market. Apigee might be a good example. Perhaps you meant too small to occupy the entire new "Blockchain Unit"? Perhaps, but I assume they would be working on several things rather than just one.

Sure, but the goal of the acquisition is to help/kickstart something worth significantly more than that. Apigee was rolled into google cloud - that's a space worth trillions. Docusign has a big share of the e-signature market. The market itself just isn't very big (by google standards).

Ahh, I see. I don't personally see what the big market is for anything blockchain related, so I went with one thing that seems reasonable.

Re: Google Creates Blockchain Unit, Hires New ‘Founding Leader’

#113

Post by danielmarkbruce »

tyingq wrote: post #112
danielmarkbruce wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but the goal of the acquisition is to help/kickstart something worth significantly more than that. Apigee was rolled into google cloud - that's a space worth trillions. Docusign has a big share of the e-signature market. The market itself just isn't very big (by google standards).

Ahh, I see. I don't personally see what the big market is for anything blockchain related, so I went with one thing that seems reasonable.

yeah, it's a good question.... it could be as much for marketing/recruiting hype as anything?

Re: Google Creates Blockchain Unit, Hires New ‘Founding Leader’

#114

Post by secretsatan »

jillesvangurp wrote: post #73

This makes actual sense for Google. From a technical point of view a block chain is a database with some interesting properties that are useful in some cases. Most major database companies are not really doing anything with this technology yet. And yet there are enough interesting applications and use cases out there that are not pyramid schemes, scams, or bullshit that you could argue that that is probably a mistake…

Does it? Can blockchain do transactions fast enough for an operation like google?

Re: Google Creates Blockchain Unit, Hires New ‘Founding Leader’

#116

Post by sangnoir »

tjpnz wrote: post #95
throwaway4good wrote: post #61

Google would be in a situation similar to Facebook (with their Libra or whatever it is called now) if they embarked on a cryptocurrency project, no?

Google already has considerable experience with payments and related compliance matters (specifically KYC and AML). Facebook not so much and I got the sense that they thought they might try to ignore those issues. It didn't work out too well for them.

> Google already has considerable experience with payments and related compliance matters

Google is on its 3rd payments iteration now, and the division had a large leadership exodus when the 2nd iteration of Google Pay flopped[1]. How much institutional knowledge have they retained?

1. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/01/google-pay-hopes-to-...

Re: Google Creates Blockchain Unit, Hires New ‘Founding Leader’

#118

Post by fomine3 »

jillesvangurp wrote: post #73

This makes actual sense for Google. From a technical point of view a block chain is a database with some interesting properties that are useful in some cases. Most major database companies are not really doing anything with this technology yet. And yet there are enough interesting applications and use cases out there that are not pyramid schemes, scams, or bullshit that you could argue that that is probably a mistake…

Nowadays IBM is famous for hyping, isn't it?

Re: Google Creates Blockchain Unit, Hires New ‘Founding Leader’

#119

Post by lifeplusplus »

xtracto wrote: post #115

But but... HN has taught me that Crypto/Blockchain is a scam and that there is no real use whatsoever in Blockchain that cannot be solved by other existing technologies. Why is Google betting on such a loser tech with no real future?

Companies dabble into many things to test the waters. If Blockchain had useful use it'd be here by now, 11 years is enough time

Re: Google Creates Blockchain Unit, Hires New ‘Founding Leader’

#120

Post by Graffur »

umeshunni wrote: post #93
Graffur wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Rumors like this seem to come in droves whenever Bitcoin prices tumble. Any evidence you can point us to?

https://www.singlelunch.com/2022/01/09/an-anatomy-of-bitcoin...

Thanks - I saw that on the FP recently but didn't get a chance to read it.
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