Also having invented the transformer architecture, doing "AI" since it was called "machine learning", and having data centers and TPUs that define state of the art.

Well sure, but lots of big companies have all the resources in the world and can't execute. Google really did turn things around in an impressive way.

Additionally, they have built-in distribution and integration for their products. I don’t know how folks don’t see that as a massive advantage.

It’s like Microsoft and Internet Explorer in the 90s but on a much larger scale both in the breadth (number of distribution channels) and depth (market share of those channels in their respective verticals).

Didn't work for Meta

I think the single biggest bad thing Google does (Android and YouTube bad practices [2] aside):

Google taxes every brand and registered trademark.

The URL bar is no longer a URL bar. It's a search bar. Google used monopoly power to take over 90% of them.

Now every product, every brand, every trademark competes in a competitive bidding process for their own hard-earned IP and market. This isn't just paying a fee, it's a bidding war with multiple sides.

If you want to strike Google at their heart, make it illegal to place ads against registered trademarks.

I'm going to launch "trademark-extortion.org" (or similar) and run a large campaign to reach F500 CEOs and legislators. This needs to end. This is the source that has allowed Google to wreak incredible harm on the entire tech sector. Happy to send this to Sam Altman and Tim Sweeny as well.

[1] Rug-pulling web installs; leveraging 3rd party vendors to establish market share and treating them like cattle; scare walls and defaults that ensure 99.99% of users wind up with ads, Google payment rails, etc. ; Google ads / chrome / search funnel ; killing Microsoft's smartphone by continually gimping YouTube and Google apps on the platform ; etc. etc. etc. The evilest company.