Google and Microsoft executives trade jabs

SAN FRANCISCO--"We don't control the platform. It's magical when it belongs to all of us." Those were the words of Vic Gundotra, who spent 15 years at Microsoft and is now leading Google's application development efforts. He was speaking about the open Web, and Google's open sourcing of much of its code to the developer community at large at the Web 2.0 Summit on Friday.

David Treadwell, vice president of Live Platform Services, took issue with his former colleague's statement about Google not controlling the platform. "If you want to be open, where is the open search and ads?" he said. Gundotra responded that not all parts of the platform have to be open. "The Internet has places to build businesses," he countered. Gundotra closed with, "The big story over the last 10 years is Windows versus the Web, and the Web has won." Treadwell just smiled or grimaced and let it go as the panel came to an end.

Google's Vic Gundotra and Microsoft's David Treadwell

(Credit: CNET News/Dan Farber)

It's clear that Google plans to use its free and open Web strategy to attack Microsoft, but based on the PDC announcements last month the Windows company has a lot of ammunition to fight back.

[Cheese McBeese]

I grow increasingly tired of the sycophantic hype associated with Google (I'm not including this post in that context). Google's search engine and the associated ad business is hard core, but Google is still pretty much a one-trick pony. The scale of their business is the driver of their revenue, not the breadth of their portfolio. AOL and Yahoo have both basked in the glow that Google is enjoying today but every company eventually faces their day of reckoning.

Microsoft is one of the few companies that has faced more than one day of reckoning and managed to survive and continue to prosper. The creation of Netscape was one such day of reckoning for Microsoft and look where we are today - IE dominates. I'm sure at some point in the past the Netscape equivalent of Vic Gondotra was up on stage crowing that Microsoft's days are numbered.

Vic Gondotra should pay close attention to one very, very important point that others have learned the hard way: The Web may have won, but that does not mean that Microsoft has lost. Not by a long shot.

Time will tell.

[AppleSuxLeo]

I agree. Well said.

[jessiethe3rd]

Very true. Google is a relative blip on the tech radar.

[Spartan_458]

Adding to what you've said, if Microsoft can really pull off Office online and Azure, Google's going to be hurting. Full Microsoft apps and OS in the cloud? Google won't stand a chance.

[AnthonyNYC]

Except for one difference, netscape was charging for its browser and Microsoft gave IE away for free because it made revenue from Windows OS sales. Now Google is making money from ad revenues from web and giving software away for free, sort of the shoe is on the other foot scenerio now.
I love my google phone running on Android, and also love Open office, if Google can give me a free OS that can run windows apps, then I can ditch Windows completely. I guess people can do that now, with Linux and Star office and Firefox etc, no real need to run windows except for old applications. I used to love my adobe too, but paying thru the nose for simple updates every six months, no thanks. I love FREE stuff, and picasa 3 beta is real promising, at this pace the only income in tech will be web ads, all software including OS will be free. Hopefully anyway!
:)

Excellent point Cheese. Its not difficult to open up part of the platform that does not generate revenue and keeping closed those that account for 99.9% of your profits. Google's only success has been with search and the ad platform. Keeping those parts of the company closed basically means is the same as Microsoft's strategy. A wolf is a wolf, even if its wrapped in sheep skin.

[zato_3]

I grow increasingly tired of the relentless Microsoft shilling that accounts for most IT and computer sites on the net. Not only are the stories written by Microsoft propagandists, but even the comments are dominated by Microsoft employees and shills. Just take a look above.

[jessiethe3rd]

It's interesting - if you like and defend Microsoft you have to work for them.

[amarkj]

With PDC announcements I can picture Google trying to come out with a cloud OS too or at least trying too. Don't count Microsoft out. They have the resources. Can they execute their plan? That's the key. Amazon has some awesome web services. Competition is great for us developers!

[dhavleak]

I grow increasingly tired of haters like zato_3 growing increasingly tired of things they don't even understand. His post doesn't say anything about the article - just a rant against people who might make any non-pejorative comment about microsoft.

Regarding the article itself, the substance of it _is_ genuinely interesting. Google does try to position itself as being "open", "open source friendly", yada yada -- but David Treadwell has a valid point. Google's main cashcow (search) is proprietary/closed technology. Googly only releases stuff for free, if it can hurt it's competition. Simple.

Also, the web's openness (especially as a platform) has nothing to do with Google. The foundation for that (standards, protocols) were laid long before Google even existed.

[bhushan bhaagii]

The foundation for the web's opennes was fortunately laid long before Google and even Microsoft existed.
Let's not forget, had it not been so, Microsoft would have 'closed' down the Web. Microsoft's record is
littered with attempts to appropriate other inventors innovations. And where they don't succeed, they
use the threat of legal action to spread FUD. Linux was the last (and latest) in this series. I haven't updated myself,
but has Microsoft chosen to withdraw the statement that Linux and Open Source are copying/infringing 246 Microsoft patents?

[tile00]

i grow increasingly tired....


...no, that's it...have to nap now...

[Mr. Dee]

The one trick pony in action - lame. Microsoft consist of multiple businesses that Google is trying to build through the web or acquire through web based software Company's. But, its gonna backfire against Google, because when Microsoft decides to get aggressive in a category of the market, there is no stopping them. When you look at the Windows Live services especially wave 3, there is a real concrete reason to use it. I know I am and it integrates well with web services which I use such as Windows Live Spaces, Flickr and Facebook. I still have that full experience when I don't have the net and I can benefit from that local experience I am accustomed to. Google is just search, I find their other services boring and irrelevant.

[t8]

Microsoft consists of multiple business. That is why Google is the Internet because that is their focus. When Microsoft compete with Coca Cola, then that doesn't mean that people will drink their cola. Microsoft is such a stretched brand, and Google is a focused brand.

People will never think Microsoft when they want to use the Web.
Microsoft can only funnel people to their web stuff from their legacy software. Admittedly that is powerful, but not enough to compete with Google.

Google is the Web and Microsoft is software that costs lots of money. That is the perception and changing that will be near impossible.

[jessiethe3rd]

Are you kidding me? People don't care - they just want free. So you are telling me that if Office was web based people wouldn't use it because it's Microsoft? Dude - you are surely smoking crack. The web is the web - if the application is good people will use it.

[t8]

@ jessie.
Look again at what I said, or clear the smoke from your crack pipe.

Microsoft can only funnel people to their web stuff from their legacy software. Admittedly that is powerful, but not enough to compete with Google.

[AppleSuxLeo]

Ballmer could take down all those GoogleWimps. All they do is play ping-pong , eat jellybeans , and sit around in bean-bag chairs.

[this1!]

ballmer is an idiot, don't kid yourself

[Spartan_458]

I guess that's why he's one of the most successful people in the world.

[this1!]

spartan, there are plenty of successful idiots in the world

[AppleSuxLeo]

Google`s online office-type apps. are primitive at best , and will be in a perpetual Beta state...as MSFT forges ahead of the pack.

[dennis_the_bug]

Forget Microsoft or Google. Bloomberg is the king.

[shikarishambu]

"The Internet has places to build businesses,"

Is he saying that you cannot make money using an "open" model?

[systemsmac]

Hmmm, let me see, i have a choice, free email, apps for my business OR pay the m$ tax on bloatware.... Google is the best thing to happen to the web, thank god m$ did not get its way with the web!!!
Like the earlier post said, m$ has stuck their thumb in every pie, software, hardware, games, ipods, phones, cola etc etc
No amount of propaganda is going to help m$ now, too late, once google destroys the m$ cash cow (office/windows), it's all down hill.....

[monkeyfun14]

Lol Google destroy Microsoft keep dreaming.

You don't think Google would act in the same way if they had a majority in market share?

[AnthonyNYC]

yup, the writing is on the wall, for those smart enough to see it.
Free wins everytime! Especially in tis bad economy!

[stuxstu]

I think some of the Google fan's don't understand that most business don't trust their data on the cloud and that is a limit. Microsofts problem there is that consumers have no such issue. Azure will be very interesting as it matures and especially if Microsoft allows it to be run internally on corporate networks.

Google bothers me with its lack of respect for privacy and the signs of abuse from its monopoly.

I still don't trust Microsoft, but they have made strides to open up some. I take that as a good sign.

[jtjt145]

Ahhh Microsoft ... all downhill from now.

[ms_vs_google]

the fact that people think that microsoft will continue to prosper as much as it has just because it has up until now shows the naivaity of people who make such changes.

Microsoft have become too used to being at the top of the pile for too long now; they are looking down the same barrell as other companies of its size and success have in te past - they have become too big and arrogant to be adaptive enough to keep up with some f the biggest changes the indutry has seen in the last 20 years, if ever (to date anyway). Face it ms and fanbois, the end is in sight and things will never be the same again.

[tuneslover]

Gundotra closed with, "The big story over the last 10 years is Windows versus the Web, and the Web has won." ????? hahahhahahahhah. he is really fool.

"Treadwell just smiled or grimaced and let it go as the panel came to an end."

Treadwell smiled at a fool human :D

[AnthonyNYC]

The web did win! it is free, but advertisers pay, this is the model that has worked in this country with tv since the beginning. No one likes buying something then having to repay to update it every year, it was only a matter of time before enough people owned computers that the world corrected itself back to the proper model.
We will have free OS, free software, free apps and buy stuff online which will pay to keep web going thru ad sales. That is simplest and best way there is.