Scobleizer - Latest Comments in Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

SaveTube — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 01:37:49 -0000

I use http://www.savetube.com to save any youtube videos. They also got a latest saved section.

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

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Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

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Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

Rajan Sodhi — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 13:01:02 -0000

I am surprised that Microsoft missed the boat on this one. Is it just me or does Microsoft seem to be playing catch up with an increasingly growing number of tech players? Okay, I know it's not just me.

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

Andy @ Absolute Michigan — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 12:26:41 -0000

Good point about how this will appeal to the big guns of advertising, Robert.

As a Michigan resident who has been following Google's new AdWords facility in Ann Arbor, I can see how this deal will help deliver the 1000 jobs they are promising over the next five years.
http://www.absolutemichigan...

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

N. Gifford — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 11:53:57 -0000

Need idea for multi-billion dollar dotcom site...

...

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

bubbleburstagain — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 11:09:32 -0000

Valuations on these dotcom businesses are getting scarey! You got myspace trying to get more money, Facebook only wants $1B+, and now YouTube. I feel the dotcom bubble beginning to grow, when will it burst, we don't know.

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

JL — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 07:55:08 -0000

And what about Adobe ? Are they picking some money by the way ?
The fact is that Youtube is popular because it's easy to use, cause the videos play in flash player.

I'd really like to know how they deal software licenses with big sites like this.

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

Christopher Coulter — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 04:53:11 -0000

Outcomes, maybe?

Yahoo and Facebook is now a done deal...
AOL - Out of the game...smallish me too deals, all crash and burn.
Viacom - Sidelinded, small deals.
News Corp. - Usual plodding along, MySpace more hype than revenue.
Microsoft - Pay no attention. Dump Ballmer already.

Really tho, boring tech deals, whole other world out there, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China to IPO hook $22 billion, PNC grabs Mercantile for $6 billion...Rusal, SUAL & Glencore three-way, GlaxoSmithKline grabs CNS...but no blogger ink yanked for that. Cross-eyed nose-level view techie thumb suckers...gawd. ;)

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

sarchi — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 04:27:27 -0000

http://waterhole-forma.blog...

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

Christopher Coulter — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 04:08:49 -0000

@40. Re: Deep Pockets to go After...

Yeah. But Google has deep lawyers too, and in things legal, it's all about waiting it all out, and that costs money, tons of it. YouTube couldn't see that thru, Google can in a heartbeat. Google already hooked a number of content deals on Google Video before the YouTube deal was even inked. iTunes recast the Napsterization model.

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

orcmid — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 02:01:23 -0000

Here's another piece of the puzzle about IP and YouTube that fits with the Google play: http://weblog.ipcentral.inf...

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

Robert Scoble — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 23:11:54 -0000

>So, exactly were does your expertise in this area, compared with Cuban’s come from?

Where does your expertise as a Scoble critic come from?

By the way, if I was so low-level, why was my title "strategist?" at the end of my term at Microsoft? Why was I called into brief Gates about RSS and social software? Why was I helping plan CNET Builder.com Live conferences (and Visual Studio) conferences in the 1990s?

But, you're right. I am not an expert here like Mark Cuban is. He sold his company for billions to Yahoo. I haven't done that yet.

I am also uniquely qualified to talk about Google. I was one of the first speakers at Google's Zeitgeist conference (Google's best customers were in attendance there) and one of only two Microsoft employees who were there speaking. That's not something that a "low level" employee does.

But, glad to see you still are here being bored.

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

James — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 21:53:25 -0000

Gizmodo called it GooTube 3 days ago
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadg...

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

raincoaster — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 21:06:14 -0000

What worries me is what's going to happen to YouTube. This wouldn't be the first time a company's been bought just to be put on ice. I fully expect that YouTube will be killed off in the next ten months at the outside, because Google has a vested interest in retaining Google Video and control processes and deals are already in place. Easier and cheaper for them to force everyone to migrate all their videos over there than to keep two competing video units going.

I'm groaning at the thought of the migration. I'm a lazy non-techie, and I vastly prefer the community-oriented aspects and ease of use of YouTube over Google video. I'll miss it.

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

LayZ — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 20:26:36 -0000

@32. Chris, and now the people being infringed up from a copyright perspective have someone with deep pockets to go after.

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

LayZ — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 20:21:54 -0000

Scoble, your opinion on this is amaturish as best. Unlike Cuban you have absolutely no position or expertise or insight on this business, so I'm not sure why the hell anyone would be asking your opinion. You've never held a position responsible for producing any product up unitl 3 months ago (and it's debatable whether what you are producing is a product). Before that you were a very low level employee at MS, as far as I could tell, with NO responsiblity on product decisions. Before that you were, I dunno..an MS MVP, wherever the hell that means. And you worked in the tech press biz, and sold cameras. So, exactly were does your expertise in this area, compared with Cuban's come from?

How could Cuban possible be jealous? He, unlike you, understands the risks of YouTube. I gotta believe if Cuban thought there was money here, long term, he would have spent less time investing in HDNet and his movie business. Good god, man. At least apply some analytical brain cells to the question, rather then some hyperbolic bloviating.

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

David Dalka — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 19:56:48 -0000

maybe the press release is just a hack ;)

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

Christopher Coulter — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 19:55:54 -0000

http://dvorak.org/blog/imag...

John sooo rocks! :)

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

Jon — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 19:51:58 -0000

If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em. It's funny that people applaud behaviour out of Google that they criticize out of Microsoft.

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

Kamal Jain — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 19:49:09 -0000

First, congratulations to Google. Second, I personally do not think Microsoft missed any oppottunity here. If things are so obvious then the price would be even higher much higher for youtube. At the current price, Google made a very good deal. If Google had failed to buy this company today, I bet they might have been paying a similar price for a three year advertising contract with youtube.

About the lawsuits, the only similar example I know was of Napster ages ago. Media companies did not understand the internet then and their initial reaction was to protect their business. Subsequently they realized and actually played the internet on the tunes of itunes. That is they made deals!

The media companies have learned their lessons. They will play along instead of play against the internet. Expect some lawsuits but manageable not the business killing kinda like against Napster. Another thing media company learnt is that, it is not a good idea to create a dominant player in a media distribution, e.g., what they created in itunes. It took their negotiating power away. Jobs won't buzz from 99 cents a song now. Since Google video and youtube are now going to have the same owner, it opens an opportunity for the thirdtube (yahoo, microsoft, sony, apple, myspace or even a startup). Now one can draw another significance of Schmidt joining Apple's board. These media companies will cut deals with many companies with different business models and like anywhere else the fittests will flourish.

Disclaimer: The commentator is Microsoft employee. The opinion is his own personal opinion.

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

Christopher Coulter — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 19:29:14 -0000

I rather like GiggleTube...

And I guess Ted Stevens was right after all, the internet is just a series of 'Tubes'.

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

Christopher Coulter — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 19:12:18 -0000

Couplea points everyone seems to be missing...

1. AOL/Time Warner looked like the Deal of the Century at one time too...

2. The cost to Google? Drop in the bucket. But Broadcast.com cost Yahoo $5.7 billion...$4.1 billion gone poof, bubble economics at work...if anything even overvalued as it is, far far more rational than the height of the dot.com boomtownisms. So if this is Bubble 2.0, it's more than double-off savings.

3. Google will be a more tempting lawsuit target, but on the flipside, they are more able to fight back. Deals will be signed left and right, suits (if they even happen) will be stickers, but not tipping points. Not quite sure all will hang on that point. Cuban jumped the gun, imho. Better to make deals, than to sue.

4. The only clear winner, of yet, be Sequoia...and maybe some trickle down select few YouTube employees. Basically boils down to Sequoia flipping off Kleiner Perkins.

5. No real missed opportunity for Microsoft, cause they have proven time and time again, any content deal they royally screw up. Sidewalk, adCenter, MSN Originals/MSN Video, Slate, MSNBC, etc. Ozzie? Ozzie who?

6. Real market, for someone to steal mindshare make a better Youtube, or at least become more of a real original content producer over just the randomness of YouTube. Even then, Hollywood and Burbank are still king, even more so, they just get another plank in the Google-one-stop-shop advertising outlet.

7. YouTube was losing money left and right, they were shopping it around to anything that moved, Google's Advertising empire only thing that bit. YouTube needed a lifeboat, Google gonna try and cash in, if not just another one of Google's various offerings. Other media empires going it alone, crafting own, and getting a parta the YouTube action anyways, without all the headaches and bandwith bills.

Really muchoadoo about nothing, cash rich Google gets talking points, and oceans upon oceans of press dribblehead ink and an outlet for it's click-fraudy adverts. Whooopie do.

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

Shwen — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 18:33:24 -0000

Hey--I just called it GooTube on my blog, too! I guess it doesn't take much of an immagination to figure that one out (or maybe a lot of immagination in the wrong direction).

Anyway, I just wrote up about this on my blog (www.etechatwork.com), but if you want some really cool insight about "what it means", check out Charlene Li's blog:
http://blogs.forrester.com/....

If you're interested, also check out my interview with Scoble while you're there:
http://etechatwork.com/blog...

Re: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion

mike3k — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 18:09:40 -0000

I hope they combine the best features of Google Video & YouTube. It would be great if YouTube would let you download videos the same way Google Video does.