[richardw]

If I had to summarise Google’s effort it would be: stay close but let the others burn themselves out. Position for the long game until you see something worth betting the company on.

Apple similar, without the “stay close” bit.

[dansquizsoft]

This is 1000% not their (Google's) aim. The position they are in is due much more to their organisational laziness and incompetence than it is any grand strategy.

[HardCodedBias]

This is the correct take.

It's an unbelievable failure.

[Sateeshm]

That might just be how it will turn out, but not because it's Google's strategy. They are just too big to fail.