Project Help: Google and Microsoft investments

wheres me jumpa

Im doing a project and I need to find some failed or successful investments by Google or Microsoft. Both are investing in web applications at present and I want to be able to point out examples where Google or Microsoft invested in a technology and it was a success/went belly up.

Ive been searching for examples, but struggling to find an appropriate one. Any help appreciated.

Jumpa

Tom Dunne

WebTV springs to mind for Microsoft.

wheres me jumpa

Thats perfect Tom, thanks. Any other takers?!

Ginger

Google bought Writely (now integrated as Google Docs and Spreadsheets) and Picassa

MS originally bought their tech for their SQL Server Engine as far as I am aware...

XBox is loosing them money still i think??? Open for correction on that one

wheres me jumpa

Ginger wrote:

Google bought Writely (now integrated as Google Docs and Spreadsheets) and Picassa

MS originally bought their tech for their SQL Server Engine as far as I am aware...

XBox is loosing them money still i think??? Open for correction on that one

Thanks Ginger. Had writely down already but Picassa I wasnt aware.

Tom Dunne

Ginger wrote:

XBox is loosing them money still i think??? Open for correction on that one

I think this is standard practice with game consoles - sell the hardware at a loss and make a killing on the software licensing.

gerky

Google bought sketchup a 3D drawing program and released it as Google sketchup

weeder

microsoft bob springs right into mind

Stepherunie

Ok this will take a bit of hunting but I know there was an article in the business section of the Irish Times a while back about different applications google had bought - actually it was written the week google bought youtube. I think it was Karen Lillington who wrote it but I'm not sure. Try the Irish Times Archives if you have access - might be able to help you.

Hobbes

Guess which company.

Wrote a compression routine for hard-drives but later found out they stole some of the code from another company. Other company sued them and won and then was later bought out by said company and put out of business rather then pay them the fines.

Kali

In terms of Google, the majority of stuff they do is excellent, however the only negative blips on their radar would be the privacy concerns over Google Desktop and Web Accelerator (which was unavailable for quite a while I think?).