That’s the question asked by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier at US public broadcaster NPR which wonders if the company has done enough to future-proof itself and retain its dominance.
Google has perfected the art of search advertising on desktop and laptop, and it controls the widely used Android mobile OS, as well as YouTube and Nest. But is the company nimble enough to capitalize on the next best thing in tech?
On the downside, NPR looks at Google’s struggle to master mobile and remain an advertising powerhouse as more and more people leave their desktops behind; its incessant experimentation on technology that often doesn’t pan out; and its size – can a giant the size of Google be flexible enough to exploit a rapidly changing world?
On the upside, of course are the company’s huge cash reserves, its innovative spirit and its clever acquisitions.
NPR quotes Farhad Manjoo from The New York Times.
“Technology giants often meet their end not with a bang but a whimper, a slow, imperceptible descent into irrelevancy.” While Google won’t disappear, it might not lead the charge into our technological future either.
Originally published by Cosmos as Have we reached peak-Google?
Bill Condie
Bill Condie is a science journalist based in Adelaide, Australia.
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