[pembrook]

Sundar did a great job pivoting Google from a product-focused B2C company into a Microsoft-style B2B-oriented monetization deathstar (Google Cloud & Workspace and Ads Ads Ads with packages of Ads on the side).

The problem is, ditching their B2C product-focused roots in favor of playing Microsoft slowly ruined their flagship Search (also the open web) and any internal culture of stewarding great products. And Google doesn't have the same level of lock-in Microsoft has.

Microsoft doesn't have to worry about end-users jumping ship because corporate worker drones can't provision their own IT.

Google searchers on the other hand, can just start opening ChatGPT instead of Google search more and more and slowly kill Google's flagship product simply out of boredom.

Youtube being forgotten about by the deathstar and being allowed to flourish was simply a happy accident. But that too will inevitably get gobbled up after the pressure of a few rough quarters comes down on the shoulders of whatever CEO comes next.