Why Google Cannot Build Social Applications

Google appli­ca­tions serve a util­i­tar­i­an man­date: they encour­age users to search for some­thing, con­sume, and move onto the next thing. Google apps are for work­ing and get­ting things done; social apps are for inter­act­ing and hav­ing fun.

Googlers who want­ed to devel­op great social appli­ca­tions had to leave Google to do so. Google has an envi­ron­ment that viewed social net­work­ing as a friv­o­lous form of enter­tain­ment rather than a real util­i­ty, and I’m pret­ty sure this view­point was shared all the way up the chain of com­mand to the founders.

More: Pan­das and Lob­sters: Why Google Can­not Build Social Appli­ca­tions…