For anyone interested in the evolution of the web, and the businesses that inhabit its ecosystems, particularly the big four, Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Apple, this Fast Company article is a must read.
The astonishing thing for me, is that the “big four” does not include Microsoft.
If you went back just a decade from today, Apple was virtually broke, Amazon and Google were barely on the radar, it would be another 4 years before Facebook would emerge from Mark Zuckerbergs dorm room at Harvard, and it would be only a year after Microsoft won a reversal of the court decision to force a breakup of the company under the US anti-trust legislation.
The pace of change has been astonishing, and it is scary to acknowledge that it is still accelerating.
Interesting article. That really is surprising that MS isn’t in the ballpark anymore at least as far as public perception is concerned. The speed of the internet and tech is always changing just like the old business maxim. Frankly, Microsoft’s brand equity seemed to take a nose dive when they began encountering repeated anti-trust issues. Some say that Google is beginning to veer in the same direction. The mediums of innovation may change, but good business ethic shouldn’t. Treat people well. Care. Or you’re done. Actually, come to think of it. That sentiment is probably true of just about any eco-system. Nice post.
Hi Dani, Glad the post touched a nerve.
I was also very surprised that MS was not included, but when I thought about it, it makes sense. Scary to think of MS as “yesterdays business model”
Cheers
Allen