[Samurai]

Originally Posted by warrioraks

Also calling them a one trick pony is an exaggeration. Let's see what else do they have:

- Gmail: The dominant provider when it comes email service. Switching a search engine is easier vs changing your email address. So there is going to be lot of inertia and operational challenges for anyone trying to de-throne the king.
- Google maps: The defacto navigation tool for millions (if not billions) worldwide
- Android: Controls 70% of the real estate when it comes to smartphone market
- YouTube: I am not even sure what reasonable alternates are available in the market.

When I say one-trick pony, I refer to their revenues. More than 80% of their revenues is from ADs. And most of their AD revenue is from Search. They have other great products, but they don't make much money. That means it can get cancelled some day.



https://www.oberlo.com/statistics/ho...gle-make-money

[DigitalOne]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Just two examples are Google+ and Google Talk, a social media platform and an instant messenger. Two services the modern world practically lives on, and they just upped and left those spaces to others.

Sometimes Google's product strategy is so confusing that I wonder what product management they have. An egregious example is "Google Meet". In your phone (or in the play store), you would find two separate apps "Google Meet" and "Google Meet (Original)". The "original" is the new name for the "Google Duo" video calling app .

Google Duo's video calling experience is superior to Whatsapp video call but it is hardly used as it is not an integrated app and I don't think it has group calling. For messaging, it went from Google Buzz to Google Talk to Allo to Google Chat and what not !! They even wanted to replace SMS with RCS but I don't know how much it is getting adopted.

Edit: I just saw that our old friend "Hangouts" is still alive. Click on the Google Apps Icon on top right corner. It now navigates to Google Chat now .

Apart from the ChatGPT, the other grave threat to Google is anti-trust regulations from EU and India to unbundle their services from Android. If regulations are made that data gleaned from one app/services cannot be used in other apps/services, Google will be truly toast.

[warrioraks]

Originally Posted by Samurai

When I say one-trick pony, I refer to their revenues. More than 80% of their revenues is from ADs.
Attachment 2420720

This is true. But the revenue source goes much beyond Google Search. It includes Youtube, Gmail, Maps and Network ads.

Originally Posted by Samurai

And most of their AD revenue is from Search. They have other great products, but they don't make much money.

Even if we forget Google search, the revenue from other products is more than 100 billion an year. Not a small sum by any consideration.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by warrioraks

...Let's see what else do they have...

...

These are just a few which came to my mind and have no direct relation to google search. They can independently show ads and keep the cash registers ringing at Google...

Originally Posted by prajwalmr62

...
They still have YouTube, Google Maps, Android (ie Play Store & services), Google Cloud Platform, Gmail (and workspace suites), Google Analytics (& suite).

Originally Posted by Samurai

When I say one-trick pony, I refer to their revenues. More than 80% of their revenues is from ADs. And most of their AD revenue is from Search. They have other great products, but they don't make much money...

Originally Posted by DigitalOne

...the other grave threat to Google is anti-trust regulations from EU and India to unbundle their services from Android. If regulations are made that data gleaned from one app/services cannot be used in other apps/services, Google will be truly toast.

Samurai has already made the $$$ argument, so I'll just add that the keyword is 'scale'. YouTube is the one market leader in Google's portfolio that's highly monetizable, and even that's on the video side. YouTube Music has tough competition and better alternatives in the audio streaming space.

WorkSpace is good, I use it personally, but it's unlikely to dislodge Microsoft 365 in the enterprise space where the big bucks are, both because MS is well-entrenched and their app suite does quite a few things better at higher complexity (e.g. Sheets is great for easy-to-medium level spreadsheeting, but Excel is far more capable at high-complexity tasks). The 'ecosystem' argument works in MS' favor at enterprise level.

As BHPian DigitalOne mentioned, Google is heavily dependent on 'profiling' users with data their app suite generates (that's why they keep insisting you keep 'Web & App History' turned on for your Google accounts), and that ability getting limited - via either anti-trust regulations or competing apps taking market share - can significantly impact Google's ability to profile and target ad & content consumers.

None of that is to say Google is terminally doomed, but their competitors are catching up in multiple key areas, and Google might struggle to offer a differentiator unless they get their game face on and focus.

Originally Posted by warrioraks

Google is a verb when it comes to internet search

Xerox & Kodak ring a bell?

[MVVSK]

In today's world, individual delivery heads have no say. There are a few people at the very top looking at each hiring request through a microscope.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Responsible for output, but how many of these function heads are allowed to make independent decisions about things that directly impact their function's output, without the say-so of other function heads and the C-Suite?

If an org-wide hiring freeze is put in place by Finance, how many Delivery heads have independent authority to supersede that even for genuine needs (e.g. new contract without enough headcount/skillset to go-live), even if they have the money in their AOP budget?



All traceable back to all decisions being beholden to short-term financial considerations, and the mindset is driven from the top. Necessary, because the C-Suite is not immune to being replaced if they don't prioritise $$$ above all else. Shareholders/investors being put on a pedestal higher than everyone else is the root cause of a lot that ails modern economic systems, but again, add salt to taste.

[warrioraks]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Samurai has already made the $$$ argument

The dollar argument does not stand here. The non-core products standalone are giving Google a revenue of cool 100 billion dollars an year which is more than majority of Fortune 500 companies.

On a slightly different note, most product companies follow this pattern where few marquee products bring majority of the revenue. ServiceNow, Meta, SAP, Apple, etc etc. That is just how it works and Google is no different. The only exception I can think is Microsoft.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Xerox & Kodak ring a bell?

Chetan, the part you quoted takes a completely different meaning vs what I wanted to say if you look at the full sentence.
Google is a verb when it comes to internet search, but let's not forget it is an eco system as well. And it takes a lot to bring down an eco-system.

I can expand if it was not clear earlier - In essence, Alphabet company is no longer only about Google search. It has evolved into an eco-system. They own majority of attention when it comes to screen time spent on digital devices. Whether it be - Youtube, Android phones, Tablets, TV or the plain old Chrome browser.

Just because one of their products is face competition does not mean it will become a Kodak or Xerox. I think you share the sentiment based on the last post.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by warrioraks

...
Chetan, the part you quoted takes a completely different meaning vs what I wanted to say if you look at the full sentence.

The snip was intentional, not to misquote, but to make a point off that bit alone. There have been products/brands before that were dominant players in their segments, sometimes a segment unto themselves, but they too shrank or disappeared when they failed to keep up with competition and adapt quickly.

I do acknowledge your point that Google isn't a one product/service company, and it's admittedly not an apples to apples comparison.

I think you share the sentiment based on the last post.

Not at all. They've got competitors catching up in areas where Google have dominated for a long time, and Google (or anyone else for that matter) will get surpassed if they don't adapt. That said, they aren't exactly sitting on their hands, I'd presume, so nothing's a given.

A generation from now, 'Bing it' might very well replace 'Google it' in popular lexicon, or it may not. The developments are a fascinating watch.

[KiloAlpha]

Advice for any IT professional working in massive companies like Google, Amazon, etc.

I am an SME working for a mid-sized IT services company, which is specialised in an industry vertical. Over the past few months, I have been interviewing candidates from large companies which are laying off in the thousands.
I am very frustrated.
And I have one piece of advice for anyone entering these large companies.

DO NOT OVER-SPECIALIZE

I can understand, that over-specialization is easy in these places. It is even rewarded. But ....
When you get laid off, or quit for any reason, you can apply for another job in two types of companies. The first type of company is a comparable to your existing organization - quit Amazon to join Google, or Microsoft to Meta, etc etc. But when all such major companies are laying off in the thousands, and hiring freezes are in place, you will inevitably turn to the next tier of mid-sized product/services companies, or even an IT role in a non-IT company. And when making this move, you will come across a peculiar requirement which might be alien to you.

Most such organizations will look for some form of a "specialist generalist" - someone who is very good in one area (for e.g., data analytics using Tableau) but also have a decent understanding of upstream and downstream tools & processes, and some degree of competence in a few associated ancillary areas, plus the flexibility to be able to pivot and take on another type of assignment. So in the case of the Tableau data analyst, if all you have done for several years is pull data from a spreadsheet, populate some reports, and present some analysis, then you will be in a tough spot when interviewing for a mid-tier IT (or non-IT) company. Do you know what data gets into that spreadsheet, and how and why? Do you know what happens to the reports you send out? Do you know what else Tableau can be used for, and how? Do you have an opinion about whether Tableau is the best tool or not? What other tools are out there in the market? Do you understand how your work fits in with the rest of the organization, and why?

If you over-specialize, you will gradually lose the cognitive skills needed to be able to move into new areas, to expand, and to get ahead. And thus, you will reduce your potential pool of employers. Employers who look for flexibility. Employers who might want you do do a bit more than the exact same tasks that you were performing in your previous role. Over-specialize, and you will lose out on all these opportunities.

[JediKnight]

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

Advice for any IT professional working in massive companies like Google, Amazon, etc.

DO NOT OVER-SPECIALIZE

I can understand, that over-specialization is easy in these places. It is even rewarded. But ....
When you get laid off, or quit for any reason, you can apply for another job in two types of companies. The first type of company is a comparable to your existing organization - quit Amazon to join Google, or Microsoft to Meta, etc etc. But when all such major companies are laying off in the thousands, and hiring freezes are in place, you will inevitably turn to the next tier of mid-sized product/services companies, or even an IT role in a non-IT company. And when making this move, you will come across a peculiar requirement which might be alien to you.

But we have a problem. In companies like Google you cannot survive as a generalist. You need to know things in depth. If you say you are good in algorithms you better know the topic inside out else you won't clear the technical interview. And when you start developing a world class product you have no choice but to specialize and go in depth.

Another problem is that there is huge pay difference in compensation between a typical IT services company and companies like Google/Microsoft/ ARM/NVIDIA etc. especially for senior technical people. I know of some senior Google engineer's having total compensation more than some CEOs of small IT services companies in India. So even if a 40+ year old ex-Googler want to join a IT services company, the HR won't call back after hearing the CTC.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

If you over-specialize, you will gradually lose the cognitive skills needed to be able to move into new areas, to expand, and to get ahead. And thus, you will reduce your potential pool of employers. Employers who look for flexibility. Employers who might want you do do a bit more than the exact same tasks that you were performing in your previous role. Over-specialize, and you will lose out on all these opportunities.

Originally Posted by JediKnight

But we have a problem. In companies like Google you cannot survive as a generalist.... So even if a 40+ year old ex-Googler want to join a IT services company, the HR won't call back after hearing the CTC.

So, what is the moral of the story here?

Don't bother calling candidates with ex-Google, ex-Amazon, etc., on their Linkedin profile? They can't fit, and you can't afford them if they do?

[Latheesh]

Wipro cuts down salary offers to freshers amid delay in onboarding

Candidates with a package of Rs 6.5 lakh per annum who were waiting to join the company received emails from Wipro, asking if they would like to join at Rs 3.5 LPA

Wipro is rolling out 87 percent of the variable pay for Q3.
IT major Wipro has written to candidates it previously made an offer of Rs 6.5 lakh per annum (LPA), asking if they would be willing to take up the offer at Rs 3.5 LPA. This comes in an uncertain demand environment, margin pressures, and recessionary concerns, which has caused Wipro to delay onboarding for the 2022 batch of graduates for several months.

To fresh graduates, the company offers two hiring programmes: Elite and Turbo. Elite candidates are offered Rs 3.5 LPA, while Turbo candidates are offered Rs 6.5 LPA. If Elite candidates are to qualify for Turbo, they must go through upskilling through the company's Velocity programme, where they receive training.

Candidates with a package of Rs 6.5 LPA who were waiting to be onboarded (a process they say has been deferred since August) received an email from Wipro on February 16, giving them the option to choose the lower-paying role and to do so by February 20.

An email sent to candidates accessed by Moneycontrol, thanks students for completing the Velocity programme, and says the company continues to assess the situation.

“Like others in our industry, we continue to assess global economies and customer needs, which factor into our hiring plans. We appreciate your commitment and patience as we try to identify joining opportunities for you. Currently, we have certain Project Engineer roles available for recruitment with an annual compensation of INR 3.5 lakhs. We would like to offer all our Velocity graduates in the FY23 batch an opportunity to opt for these roles,” the email read.
If a student accepts this offer, they will be onboarded from March onwards, and all previous offers will be void.

Source:https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/bu...-10125451.html

[sunnsood]

Mods: a small request that we can change the topic to "Jobs, attrition, layoffs in IT companies".

Attrition is where employee leaves as per his wish
Layoff is where employee is terminated with any reason.

[sunilsreenivasg]

Originally Posted by Latheesh

Wipro cuts down salary offers to freshers amid delay in onboarding

Candidates with a package of Rs 6.5 lakh per annum who were waiting to join the company received emails from Wipro, asking if they would like to join at Rs 3.5 LPA

This is too much to ask for! especially with a fresher. They might have left many offers thinking that 6.5 would be a better figure to start with. Now starting with 3.5 would be devastating. They will take another 3 years to reach 6.5

[JediKnight]

Originally Posted by Samurai

So, what is the moral of the story here?

Don't bother calling candidates with ex-Google, ex-Amazon, etc., on their Linkedin profile? They can't fit, and you can't afford them if they do?

For ex-Google, ex-Amazon, etc., employee 40+ years age. CTC approaching crore or above: If you are laid off, you are royally screwed. Because companies that can give these kinds of salaries are either laying off or have a hiring freeze. So be prepared to cool your heels at home for next 6-8 months minimum and then hope the market scenario improves.

For Indian IT services guys who are thinking of hiring these guys: These guys are out of your league so forget about them. You are used to doing the lowest rung of technical work for which you pay peanuts. This business model will not work with them. Even if someone joins you in desperation he/she will run for their life when the market improves.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by Samurai

So, what is the moral of the story here?

Don't bother calling candidates with ex-Google, ex-Amazon, etc., on their Linkedin profile? They can't fit, and you can't afford them if they do?

Ironically, it could very well be the Linkedin profile of an ex-Linkedin employee!