Except it's more likely the Google acquisition wouldn't have gone anywhere under Yahoo, and Yahoo wouldn't be in the position to buy Tesla today anyway.
In yet another alternate universe, Google sold to Excite for under $1M in 1999; Tesla sold to Excite in 2013; in 2014 Excite is named the best employer for the fifth time in a row!
Microsoft actually offered a great deal to buy Yahoo a while back, but stupid leadership cheated all us shareholders. So Yahoo shouldn't even exist at this point...
Thank goodness that didn't happen. Tesla is doing amazing things and is on track to seriously shake up the automotive industry. I can't imagine that would be true under Google.
I disagree here.
It made me wonder how much more Tesla could have been with Googles power.
As the article states, Elon Musk would keep on working on his project for 8 years with extra funding to create the same cars he is now.
If that was the case and with Googles money and power, they might had a better chance of creating a better car as well as adding self driving in the car much faster if we look at google car. ( offcourse that is still years away )
I had a friend who had a brief stint at Tesla, now she is in grad school.
She used to tell me stories of how she was constantly asked to work on different teams, doing totally unrelated tasks. She started as a project coordinator but one day she was asked to make sales calls. She also worked on delivering cars as well as give tours to the Tesla factory.
Sounds like the chaos of a startup. It's why some people choose to work at GM. It's also why GM floundered - I can't imagine them having any flexibility in work rules.
I hope they pull it off - I will buy one of their mainstream cars.
Sounds like it could have been intentional - I see people in the banking industry constantly jumping jobs across all products and different sectors of the bank in order to gain experience and understanding of the company from all sorts of angles.
Could someone explain what Google believes its core competency is? Do they really think that over the long term they can be a software company and a car company?
They're sorta turning into a commercially viable DARPA. They take some really hard, large scale, problems; get the right people in a room and find solutions.
Also, cars are basically software at this point. Especially tesla.
Interestingly with self driving electric cars on the near term horizon the car companies are wondering what exactly a "car company" will be in a decade or two.
Google is a basically a future company, which means they try to make future different than the past. Software is just a tool; a continuum to stone and iron tools etc.
In the next decade computing will extend in both directions, to physical and virtual realms. I.e. people will enter computer world and computers will enter our world. Google is trying to be a forerunner in this change. These are the next big form-factors.
Obviously their core competency is giving away the stuff for free and put ads on it.
I think it's too early for Tesla to sell. Maybe in 10 years. First allow it to get big enough to get a strong culture that can't be changed by another company. What do you think would happen if say GM bought Tesla now? Do you think Tesla would be able to convert GM to their way of doing things, or the other way around? (especially if Elon Musk leaves to focus on Space X)
Why would they sell in 10 years? A sale then would only make sense if they were struggling, in which case I wouldn't count on a failing "Tesla culture" to remain.
It looks like they have a very bright future, with classic automakers playing catchup. No need or benefit to sell.
I'm sorry Google people, but I find such company to be disguting.
Inspite of the fact its main business relies on advertisement, Google believes it is entitled to be a monopoly in technology(any sector).
One could use Thiel's argument of 'monopolies are good' until they are not. Being a monopoly in tech means being the god of tomorrow. In the end, what in the future will not be an outcome of current technology?
Google's like a magazine publisher, TV station, phone directory publisher.
Can you imagine if such publications decide to hire their own doctors/travel-agent/etc to resell their service and push their products over others? That is essentially what's happening.
[+] [-] nakedrobot2|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] higherpurpose|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Marat_Dukhan|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lnanek2|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|11 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] mikeash|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] stevoo|11 years ago|reply
If that was the case and with Googles money and power, they might had a better chance of creating a better car as well as adding self driving in the car much faster if we look at google car. ( offcourse that is still years away )
[+] [-] Leszek|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lyime|11 years ago|reply
She used to tell me stories of how she was constantly asked to work on different teams, doing totally unrelated tasks. She started as a project coordinator but one day she was asked to make sales calls. She also worked on delivering cars as well as give tours to the Tesla factory.
[+] [-] mathattack|11 years ago|reply
I hope they pull it off - I will buy one of their mainstream cars.
[+] [-] johansch|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dba7dba|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] JimmaDaRustla|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tuna-piano|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mitchell_h|11 years ago|reply
Also, cars are basically software at this point. Especially tesla.
[+] [-] shin_lao|11 years ago|reply
Example: I own a synthesizer and a motorbike from the same company.
[+] [-] smoyer|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] amelius|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] steakejjs|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] plg|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jusben1369|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Geee|11 years ago|reply
In the next decade computing will extend in both directions, to physical and virtual realms. I.e. people will enter computer world and computers will enter our world. Google is trying to be a forerunner in this change. These are the next big form-factors.
Obviously their core competency is giving away the stuff for free and put ads on it.
[+] [-] smanuel|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mfringel|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] flinty|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] higherpurpose|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ohitsdom|11 years ago|reply
It looks like they have a very bright future, with classic automakers playing catchup. No need or benefit to sell.
[+] [-] astazangasta|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jpmattia|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ocdtrekkie|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] acheron|11 years ago|reply
"Please log into Google+ in order to unlock your car."
[+] [-] knocknock|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] onezeno|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] onezeno|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dataker|11 years ago|reply
Inspite of the fact its main business relies on advertisement, Google believes it is entitled to be a monopoly in technology(any sector).
One could use Thiel's argument of 'monopolies are good' until they are not. Being a monopoly in tech means being the god of tomorrow. In the end, what in the future will not be an outcome of current technology?
[+] [-] dba7dba|11 years ago|reply
Can you imagine if such publications decide to hire their own doctors/travel-agent/etc to resell their service and push their products over others? That is essentially what's happening.