Prompt Cast
The Acquisition of Waze by Google: A Strategic Move for Data and Defense
TLDR Google's acquisition of Waze was primarily a defensive move against Facebook and a strategic acquisition of valuable data. Waze's disruptive business model and accurate crowdsourced data make it an important asset for Google's future in autonomous vehicles and Google Maps.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Google acquired Waze, a social navigation app that uses data from other drivers to provide real-time traffic information.
04:58
Waze is a social navigation app that allows users to report real-time incidents on the road, and it was started in 2006 as a project called free map Israel before changing its name to Waze in 2008 and raising $12 million in its series A funding round in March of that year.
10:28
In 2012, Apple announced the launch of Apple Maps, replacing Google Maps as the native map software on iOS, which created a conflict between Apple and Google and put Waze at the center of the conflict.
16:04
Apple Maps was a disaster when it launched in 2012, leading to rumors that Apple was considering acquiring Waze, a free mapping app with a good data model, but the acquisition never happened and Google launched a standalone Maps app on iOS instead.
21:53
Google launched a standalone Maps app on iOS in 2012, which was well received and marked the beginning of peaceful coexistence between Apple and Google, while Facebook emerged as a new threat to Google's ad platform.
27:04
In June 2013, Google announced that it was buying Waze for around a billion dollars, primarily as a data acquisition, with the core team remaining in Israel.
32:32
Google's acquisition of Waze was not a technology or product acquisition, but rather an acquisition of valuable data and a defensive move against Facebook.
37:45
If Facebook had acquired Waze, it would have expanded its reach into the transportation space and potentially used the platform to deliver local ads.
43:22
Waze's value as a data asset allowed it to disrupt the business model of turn-by-turn navigation apps by offering its service for free and obtaining value from the data it collected.
48:50
Waze's value as a data asset allowed it to disrupt the business model of turn-by-turn navigation apps by offering its service for free and obtaining value from the data it collected.
54:22
Waze's value as a data asset has remained strong, with many people still using the app and its crowdsourced data being more accurate in developing countries, making it an important asset for Google's future in autonomous vehicles and Google Maps.
01:00:28
The host recommends the Song Exploder podcast, particularly the episodes featuring Odessa and Weezer, as well as the TED Talk by Simon Sinek titled "Start With Why."
Categories:
Technology
Business
