Google challenged Microsoft, not to merge

The new mantra " Search, Advertising and Application " reflects a strategic shift within Google's body: search and advertising to Internet software development.

Speaking to journalists at Google's headquarters before the annual shareholders' meeting, CEO Eric Schmidt said his speech to investors would focus on the three businesses mentioned above.

Google, the world's number one online search provider, is also the global leader in pay-per-click advertising. These two segments contribute almost all of Google's revenue and profit throughout the years.

Until last year, Google officially entered the software application market with a product called "Google Apps". In essence, this is a series of online software applications and Web publishing tools that are provided free of charge to users.

As for businesses, government agencies and universities, Google has developed a more advanced, more advanced version of Google Apps that has to be paid for. This could be considered a battle of Google against the dominance of Microsoft Office office software.

Of course, the vast majority of Google Apps is still free to release, so the revenue it brings to Google so far is modest, if not nothing.

"The general idea is that this shift will open up a whole new life on the Internet, a new way of life, " Schmidt commented on the direction of Google's new strategy. " Users are spending more and more time on the Internet, and Google can provide really useful applications for them ." Take, for example, Google Calendar, a work scheduling and collaboration tool for the whole team.

Not sure how to merge

It seems to react to the recent rumor that Microsoft and Yahoo could merge to bring down Google, Schmidt said the search giant was "more comfortable" with conducting large-scale acquisitions. . Even so, the small acquisition is still preferred.

" We are very open to acquiring large businesses, as evidenced by the fact that in the last few months Google has had two such incidents. A few years ago, the mentality of management was not so comfortable. But Please make it clear that Google does it for non-competitive reasons. We do that to block the gaps in our portfolio and business portfolio. "

" I think there will be other big mergers now. But we have no strength (as well as time) to do it every day, " Schmidt said when asked about Google's "blood" level. with merging.

Last November, Google spent $ 1.65 billion to buy YouTube video sharing site - this is considered the biggest value contract in its history. Then a month ago, Google announced a contract of up to $ 3.1 billion to acquire DoubleClick, an online advertising service and technology provider.

Meanwhile, acquiring small technology firms is a "shortcut" for Google to own new technologies and a team of talented engineers. "In the past, we bought businesses mainly because of their human resources. Now, Google acquires small, newly established firms at a frequency of days / times or once a week," Schmidt estimates. count.

Typical of this "shortcut" of Google: Keyhole (Google Earth) and Urchin (Analytics) both possess a very strong technical team, an early departure from technology and they have been acquired by Google at a price. Very cheap.

When asked about Google's attitude towards the wave of mergers over the media, Schmidt confirmed that Google just wanted to cooperate with the press and content firms rather than want to acquire them. " It's better to shake hands with Dow Jones or The Fiancial Times ," Schmidt said.

Trong Cam