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Would Turning Google Off Be A Bad Thing?
No-one likes to be told that they are getting too big for their boots. Sometimes it has to happen.
Google are threatening to switch off their search engine in Australia if the government force them to share revenue with local news providers and publishers.
Google has a 90% share of search engine traffic worldwide. Last year it made $4bn in Australia, paying $45m in tax. It can afford to change.
Google could choose a different path here. But it’s worried that this will be the top of a slippery slope towards its dominance being chipped away at.
The tools Google create are a source of efficiency, inspiration and progress. Couldn’t they could approach this situation creatively and collaboratively?
Google aren’t the only search engine, or the only map provider, or the only email tool — as Australia may soon discover.
