What's next?

Google will eventually by overtaken by something. That's how things go in the tech world. Companies inevitably pop up, dissolve, and fizzle out. It's just hard to imagine how it could fall. Revolutionary technologies are eventually taken over by newer, sometimes highly appropriated technology. But where Google stands now, it's hard to imagine how it might fall. It appears that Bing has tried to compete and failed (at least so far). Google has spent a long time (in tech time) at the top, and there's still little sign that it's going anywhere.

I'd say that part of Google's strength lays in the integrity of it's creators. It would be easy to say "money's down? run more ads." But it's true that Google is a brand, and while it's users have become loyal, they also have expectations of quality- and part of that quality comes from unobtrusive ads. It's also reassuring that they seem to believe in their technology as for the greater good. I think the attitude of Google's creators helps it maintain a positive public image. It's not liked at as a beast in need of slaying, like say, Microsoft a few years back. Although there apparently are some in the tech world, that are starting to feel that way. It'll be interesting to see if that catches on.