Prompt Cast
The Rise and Success of Google Maps
TLDR Google Maps started as a way for Google to compete with other mapping companies, but quickly became the largest internet mapping destination in the world. Despite facing challenges from competitors like Apple Maps, Google Maps remains a foundational product and technology with the potential to generate billions of dollars in advertising revenue.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Google Maps is the topic of discussion in this episode of the podcast, with the hosts exploring its acquisition history and its potential as a major success story.
06:38
In 2003, Brett Taylor, who would later become the CTO of Facebook, met with Larry Page and Megan Smith of Google to discuss the state of search by location and the competitive market, leading them to realize that they needed to improve their mapping feature to compete with companies like MapQuest and Yahoo Maps.
12:49
Lars and Jens pitch their company, Where 2 Technologies, to Larry Page and Megan Smith of Google, who are initially hesitant due to their focus on web software, but Lars and Jens return three weeks later with their software, Expedition, running on the web using a relatively unknown feature of JavaScript.
18:55
Google acquires two other companies, Keyhole and Zip Dash, in addition to Where 2 Technologies, with Keyhole becoming Google Earth and Zip Dash providing real-time traffic data for mobile phones.
25:35
Google acquires Zip Dash, which becomes the mobile version of Google Maps, and the launch of Google Maps includes the addition of satellite imagery, which was a novelty at the time.
32:01
Google Maps becomes the largest internet mapping destination and provider in the world after acquiring MapQuest and Yahoo, releasing the Maps API, and enabling developers to create mashups using the API.
38:39
Google Maps becomes a foundational product and technology, powering maps on the iPhone and opening up many possibilities.
45:12
In 2012, Apple launches its own mapping service, Apple Maps, and removes Google Maps from the iPhone, causing widespread dissatisfaction and prompting an apology from Tim Cook.
51:39
Google quickly releases a third-party application of Google Maps for iOS in response to Apple's launch of Apple Maps, and the app becomes incredibly popular and well-received.
58:07
The co-founder of Google Maps, Lars Rasmussen, went on to work at Facebook and started a company called weave.io, while the fourth co-founder of Where To retired but the other co-founder, Noel Gordon, is still working at Google.
01:04:56
The reliance on expensive data and the lack of access to capital would have made it difficult for an independent startup to compete with Google Maps at the time, but now, with better technology and funding options, it is possible to build a large independent company with a similar idea.
01:11:19
The availability of machine learning and increased access to capital has allowed startups to compete with big companies like Google and Facebook, enabling the possibility of building large independent companies with similar ideas.
01:17:42
Google Maps has created a lot of consumer surplus and benefits for many people's lives, but its monopoly status and ability to acquire start-up competitors raises concerns about the future of innovation in the space.
01:24:17
Google Maps has the potential to generate billions of dollars in advertising revenue and is a fundamental infrastructure for the internet and beyond, making it a valuable asset for Google.
01:30:47
Google Maps is not quite an A+ asset like Instagram and Booking, but it has the potential to become one due to its fundamental structure to the internet and its role as a new search page for Google.
Categories:
Technology
Business
