Comments on: Editors' Picks: Would you invest in Google?

Once the darling of the Internet, search giant Google faces new competition and investor skepticism as it nears an IPO.

[bobtheman22]

The Time Machine: Would you have invested in an Altavista IPO?

While I really hope that Google's IPO will jump start a lame stock market, at the end of the day they are nothing more then a search engine. And as Altavista proved, it is much too easy to fall from the top of the search engine world, especially when Microsoft and Yahoo are hot on their heals.

[David Arbogast]

Good Point

I spent time trying to justify an investment in Google, but you are right. I used to use AltaVista long ago, and you just never hear about them any more. This is probably the reason that google is trying to expand with free groups, news, froogle, email, etc. But as I understand the primary source of income is still advertising on the search engine.

I agree

Eventhough Google IPO seems promising, it is, as you said, just a search engine. All of us that have been around for a while have seen how altavista went from top to bottom in a relatively short time period. Eventhough search engines are now more mature, and google is at the top introducing new features every once in a while, not everyone is tech savy. many people just use the engine to browse for stuff and are oblivious to all extra features the engine offers. All it takes for google to go down is a better way to search from another company. Then again, that has yet to happen (if it happens). I dont see its stocks as a long-term investment option.

[Peter Jankins]

Google's IPO

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nakamichi/539029834

Out of my range

I might buy a CPU or a toaster by auction because it's a fixed target. Shooting at a moving target is risky and Google is one fast moving target. Plus the target is out of my range. I'll stick with skeet shooting! I'll bet the Bunnies all have an inside position. Don't get bent over and never get emotional over a stock.

[charlie cooper]

Management chops?

Everyone has watched Brin & Page create a great technology and build a company out of nothing. But tech chops are one thing, management execution is another. The sequence of events leading up to this IPO constitutes a three ring circus. I don't know if that's a harbinger but it raises the inevitable question whether these guys have the necessary skills to run a multi-billion dollar business.

Charlie Cooper
CNET News.com

Fiasco

When this is all said and done, yahoo will have more power at 384M share ownership, the employees, well not sure what they will get and advertisers and ecommerce will be at the mercy of these guys since there is nothing better out there at the moment.

[lingsun]

Google's strategy is to take advantage of rookie investors

Google's strategy seems to be to take advantage of inexperienced investors who can't even read financial statements. Google's going to be doing things reputable companies don't: 1. They're going to auction the stock. 2. They are selling ownership but not control. 3. They act like they are a new company getting started but how much growth can they really have?? Count me out. I'll invest in a real company with a real product and real assets.

[Peter Jankins]

auction the stock

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nakamichi/539030106

[smook]

regular people will be lost.

The normal business person will NOT make a dime on this! I don't see an up to any of the google issues. A very big disappointing rollout with all their current mistakes. They have dropped the ball.

GOOGLE SHOT THEMSELVES DOWN!

Google shot themselves in the foot when they decided to set the initial price of shares so high. Rather than let market forces decide the market price, they got greedy and wanted their money up front despite all the weirdness in their IPO announcement about corprate geed!

Ambitious but risky

It's a great step that Google is taking to offer this stock to individuals rather than just the institutions...will be interesting to see if their business model can support a $100+ stock price and a 30+B market cap (do I have that number right???)

Yeah...so that'd make their P/E about 130.

Which would be highly speculative for a big, established company with fat earnings like Microsoft, but for a search engine with a number of name brand companies gunning for them? This sure looks like a suicide investment.

[maxplanar]

Only way is down

I think it's a poor investment - and that's not to say there's
anything wrong with their product, which is amazing and really
has changed everything. But what they own is a technique, and
before not too long at all, many others will learn to be able to do
it equally well. Their market share can only go in one direction
- down. I'll use their search only as long as no-one else's is
better....

[avfolk--2008]

Fools rush in....

while the Google Twoogle cash out. Smells of stock scam to me.

And remember, no matter how putrid their coffee may be -- lots
of people fork over lots of bucks to sip -- and own -- froo froo
coffee. Obviously PT Barnum was right -- but he guessed waaay
too low on birthrate.

What about Gmail

I am a completely rookie investor and i am mostly into technology that i use frequently and google seems to be the best search engine on the internet as of now. But my questions is what about their new product GMail? Its still in beta stage right now, but it seems like in the future this could really revolutionize the way everyone does EMAIL considering it is completely cost free, offers a gig of storage, and searchable email is a pretty new and original idea. People are acutally paying money for beta accounts of this on ebay and i was just wondering what you pros think of this new gmail idea and what it could potentially do for google and its potential investors?

First analyze situation with regards to cybercrime.

You have to think hard prior investing in a search engine that's for sure. Especially when you get bombarded by information that altavista's source code was stolen, obviously when something like that happens you can be sure that search engines will continue pop like mushrooms and cybercriminals will become stronger after examining the code.

[Peter Jankins]

altavista's source code

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nakamichi/539148227

Going Places

Google has impressed me over and over. They are very good at what they do, and continue to enter new markets (ie gmail). I would invest at almost any price. Keep in mind, the IPO is just the begining.