[gatsby]

Almost every successful Google product over the last 15 years has been the result of acquiring an already-built product and marketing + distributing it well: Youtube, Nest, Waze, Doubleclick, Android.

Products that are organically created within Google (even Google Hire, created via acquihire) have a pretty awful track record.

[lquist]

Gmail? Google maps? Chrome?

[gatsby]

Gmail is 15 years old.

Maps is ~15 years old (and was the combination of several acquisitions in the maps space: Keyhole, Where2, Zipdash, etc.)

Chrome is 11 years old + extremely successful, but my point still stands.