Writing about Google, Inc. hits close to home, quite literally, as I am a past townie of Lenoir, North Carolina, which will soon become Google’s latest data farm. As I walked around my hometown a week ago, I began to wonder what the town would look like when the median income of the citizenship raises by $20,000. Moreover, I began to wonder just how much Google actually owns in the world. After some delving, I was shocked to learn that the company is only a few smart business deals away from owning Heaven itself.
Google currently owns over 520 domain names, ranging from ones of which you have already heard to ones that you likely never will. But do not kid yourselves, Google still owns them, and they always will. I predict that in another year, the number will reach approximately 1000 domains.
The company’s slogan has been “Don’t Be Evil” for some time now, although the company learned a sour lesson when dealing with its search engine in China. Unfortunately for the company, evil and big business sometimes go hand in hand. I personally do not blame Google for making the choices that it did, but I do believe that the setting of itself on such a seemingly high moral pedestal is bound to draw criticism until the moniker is dropped. Giving in has never been Google’s strong suit, however, and for good reason. If they had given in to the dark side, they may not have been elected Fortune Magazine’s Top Business for which to work, despite criticism from past employees of ageism and sexism.
If owning a large list of domains, being the top business for which to work, and being “not evil” were not enough, Google also simply owns a lot of…stuff. Some of its most recent acquisitions include YouTube, Tonic Systems, and even a 5% stake in AOL. Most recently, Google acquired DoubleClick, a company that provides Internet ad serving services. The deal was finalized on March 11, 2008. The types of tech that Googles embraces into its corporation are so varied that it leaves me scratching my head at what Google couldn’t acquire.
Lenoir is not going to be known for making great furniture much longer; it is going to be known for googling. You might as well familiarize yourself with Google’s Corporate Homepage; after all, they will own you one day.
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