Blog: Google Vs. Yahoo

Blogger Ben Tompkins gives his take on how Yahoo CEO Terry Semel is responding to some of Google's recent competitive thrusts. Not so good, he says.

November 6, 2006

1 Min Read
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With Terry Semel's head scheduled for mounting on a pike any day now, it's easy to mock the Yahoo CEO for inaction or indecision or ineffectiveness. Granted, he looks like a slow-footed rookie quarterback facing his first blitz, but consider the rush that Google has been putting on just in the last few days. A sack's better than an interception.

A user-friendly bulleted list of the Google-blitz this week:

* Acquired wiki-maker JotSpot

* On track to outpace U.K. broadcasters in ad revenue for the year

* Updated mobile service to speed Gmail access* Donated $30,000 to Creative Commons

* Sergey or Larry bought an apartment on Central Park West in the same building as Sting and Denzel

* Potentially planning a hiring binge in anticipation of a partnership with Clear Channel

* Rumored to be offering Google checkout free during the holiday season

* Trailing Baidu in China, but that's OK because more than a few pundits think Google may acquire Baidu (that's unless Yahoo steps in first -- yeah, that's likely).

Meanwhile, on the other side of Mountain View, Yahoo has some irons in the fire (other than that Baidu thing).

* Launched a food site

* Didn't buy Facebook (potentially a win, given Facebook's declining traffic)

* Didn't buy Facebook (potentially a loss, given that MySpace is "over" with hipsters migrating to Facebook)

* Converted the Yahoo commuter shuttles to bio-diesel* Didn't buy AOL (not really Semel's call given Parsons' pronouncement that AOL is not for sale)

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