Part III: Goooooooogle…

What is google? Is there any internet user left that does not know Google? How they did this? A portal that can answer all of your questions, and it does not disturb you. It is simple, and has a value of $120 billion. How can this be? In December 5 issue, the international business magazine Business Week made Google cover story under the headline “Googling for Gold”, and analyzing the value of the company and its potential future choices.

According to the Business Week (Dec. 5 2005, Cover Story: Googling for Google, p. 62, by Roben Farzad and Ben Elgin) Google’s shopping spree is going to determine, may be in a way limit its future strength. One of their arguments is, in a way they have an example to compare with which is Yahoo; Google has shown little interest so far in doing big deals with anyone. $120 billion company is nowadays on the edge of buying part of AOL, Yahoo, on the other hand, in 1999 passed the chance to buy eBay, which has a value around $65 billion – Yahoo’s value is $60 billion. However, the Google guys tell that “We would fund projects that have a 10% chance of earning a billion dollars,… Do not be surprised if we place smaller bets in the areas that seem very speculative or even strange” (from Google’s IPO prospectus) which in such a way means that they are going to gamble –which is not also usual for such a big company compared to its Silicon valley neighbors. And they add “As the ratio of reward to risk is increases, we will accept projects further outside our normal areas, especially when the initial investment is small.” I believe that they are going to try to change the skulled system of Silicon Valley – which is directed and controlled by capital ventures, and give a chance to the projects that have a potential - may be brilliance in them but have less chance to survive. I hope they can find a way to change not only the system of Silicon valley, but also, as a wish, they can come up with, create, or support projects to educate -since they have potential to select useful information for us at any time we ask them for- also free, may be they can be the teachers of the uneducated poor people, who are really suffering and as far the system does not give equal opportunity to everybody, it can be a good idea to try. I hope they will take into consideration the poverty, starving people and homeless kids. For the last two or three decades we can only see heroes in the movies, we need some in real life.

On the other hand, the CVs (capital ventures) are complaining about Google, and defining the way the Google guys behave as “arrogant”, because of their way of analyzing all the details about the ideas and deals that they are asked to buy or agree. However, let me explain in a Turkish manner, you have to be careful, especially when you grow very fast, since you are going to be in the table of the wolves. Beside all, I have a feeling inside that these guys are going to make really good things, when I read “the 10 things Google has found to be found” (Google.com, www.google.com/intl/en/corporate/tenthings.html), I thought that these guys have the same mind with me, and I am sure that they are trying, just like me, finding a way to change the entire stoned, rotten system which is called capitalism, but I am changing my mind about it, and renaming it, “the starving empire of money”.

So, anyway, Google is one of the most brilliant companies of today’s economy, and their actions, purchases and projects are going to affect the economy and lots of people.