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How Microsoft could crush Google in one easy step. Seriously.

Henry Blodget has a post up on "One way for Microsoft to Kill Google" It’s interesting, but I think there’s a much easier and faster method that Microsoft could use to more effectively “kill” Google tomorrow if they so chose.

 

It’s more than a little bit evil - - but on the other hand, I never heard Microsoft promise that they wouldn’t be.

 

So what is it?

 

The height of simplicity. Introduce an integrated ad-blocker to Windows (purely as a customer service, of course) that blocks all Google ads in both IE and Firefox.

 

Allow users to temporarily or permanently turn off the blocker if they choose. (Knowing full well that 95% of users just keep the default settings.)

 

Microsoft would probably need to block their own ads too, in order to make the effort legitimate, but how big a loss would that be for them really, on a relative basis?

 

For G, on the other hand, it would literally eliminate their entire revenue stream. Overnight. And Microsoft could push this out via a Windows Update in a few weeks time, at most. Buy the very excellent AdMuncher and bundle it if it’s too time consuming to build.

 

Part of me hesitates to point this out (in fact, I first thought of it a couple of years ago, and didn’t say anything for that very reason) but I can’t possibly be the only person who has thought of this, right? What am I missing? (Other than revisiting antitrust issues, which I have to think would be an acceptable tradeoff for MSFT, and isn’t that what they pay that mongo-big legal department for anyway?)

 

So, anyway – that’s my contribution to the world evil-quotient for the day.

Final Update - April 12:  This Microsoft v. Google wrap-up post. answers important remaining questions like: Why wouldn’t Google just promote Firefox? Isn’t this too evil? Are you a moron? And why in the hell did you write this?

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007 at 4:57 am and is filed under , , , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

32 Responses to “How Microsoft could crush Google in one easy step. Seriously.”

  1. Loosely Coupled ( by Tim Marman ) Says:
    November 30th, 1999 at 12:00 am

  2. Denken Ãœber | Un simple weblog Says:
    April 7th, 2007 at 6:01 am

    , Internet Andrés linkea una nota de The Reluctant Blogger donde se dice, resumiendo, que si Microsoft quisiera matar a Google sólo tendría que incluir, en forma de update automático, un bloqueador de publicidad online en Internet Explorer. De esa forma destruiría, con su 85% del mercado de navegadores,

  3. the vice: Hogar de medusas, camaleones y otros seres especiales. Says:
    April 8th, 2007 at 8:51 am

    La sencilla receta para que Microsoft mate a Google: “ [IMG BillG eyeing Google?]Visto en The Reluctant Blogger, de Paul Byant: Microsoft puede ocasionar un fuerte impacto en la principal vía de ingresos de Google (creo que el 60% de sus ingresos se generan vía publicidad / AdSense / AdWords), si Microsoft desarrollara o comprara un software que permita

  4. MalDiseño Says:
    April 8th, 2007 at 3:52 pm

    la verdadera revolución, es que crearon un ecosistema completo de servicios web que son gratuitos para todo el mundo porque pueden vivir de la publicidad online sin depender de una fuerza de ventas propia que los haría no-rentables. Sobre una nota de The Reluctant Blogger

  5. FradeBlog Says:
    April 8th, 2007 at 6:04 pm

    The Reluctant Blogger

  6. [Stuff] off of my chest... Says:
    April 10th, 2007 at 5:38 am

    How much would Google’s and MSN/Live’s revenue be affected if Microsoft were to enable this feature by default?  Which of the two companies do you believe could survive longest without an ad-based revenue stream. Paul Bryant poses this scenario on his blog here

  7. slashstar Says:
    April 10th, 2007 at 5:01 pm

    Dare points to this insightful, if nefarious, post on how Microsoft could crush Google in one easy step. I’ve long made the argument that Google is not a technology company, but rather an advertising / media company. Clearly, the distinction between technology and media is at least blurring. In fact, it was observed at a recent

  8. nextNY Blog Says:
    April 10th, 2007 at 5:01 pm

    how Microsoft could crush Google in one easy step. I’ve long made the argument that Google is not a technology company, but rather an advertising / media company. Clearly, the distinction between technology and media is at least blurring. In fact, it was observed at a recent

  9. Advertising Lab: future of advertising and advertising technology Says:
    April 12th, 2007 at 5:52 pm

    doomsday scenario

  10. Stratégies - Toute l'actualité des blogs en continu... Says:
    April 12th, 2007 at 7:00 pm

    Paul Briant at the Reluctant Blogger came up with a doomsday scenario

  11. CON·CEP’TU·AL·IST Says:
    April 12th, 2007 at 8:50 pm

    yet another effective way to stop kill Google: The height of simplicity. Introduce an integrated ad-blocker to Windows (purely as a customer service, of course) that blocks all Google ads in both IE and Firefox. Allow users to temporarily or permanently turn off the blocker

  12. HodracirK'S Blog Says:
    April 13th, 2007 at 1:59 am

    Paul Byant

  13. Lunchtime Links Says:
    April 13th, 2007 at 11:53 am

    http://www.reluctantblogger.com/2007/04/how-microsoft-could-crush-google-in-one.html

  14. LASHLEYWORLD Says:
    April 13th, 2007 at 4:11 pm

    What if Microsoft were to implement a default text-ad blocker in IE? Would that put more than a dent on the hood of the Google Steamroller?? From Advertising Lab: Paul Briant at the Reluctant Blogger came up with a doomsday scenario

  15. PYLB Says:
    April 13th, 2007 at 5:15 pm

    Microsoft could crush Google in one easy step”. Nothing against Google (this post is on Google-owned Blogger after all), but I grow weary of seeing more and more space in my browser filled with text ads. In the days since Reluctant Blogger’s first post, he’s received a lot of feedback and

  16. Un lugar en el mundo… Says:
    April 14th, 2007 at 4:30 am

    juega Mono en el acuerdo firmado entre Novell y Microsoft. ¿Podría Microsoft matar a Google?. ¿Podria sobrevivir Google si Microsoft incluyera un bloqueador de publicidad integrado en su explorer que filtrara el Adsense? Eso es lo que sugieren en the reluctant blogger y comenta Mariano en su Denken Über. Wifi gratis con FON… si te tragas la publicidad. Varsavsky anuncia que está estudiando un nuevo modelo de acceso a la red wi-fi de FON que copia a su más directa competencia

  17. reluctantblogger.com » Google buys Doubleclick… my idea’s looking better all the time, isn’t it Mister Softee? Says:
    April 15th, 2007 at 10:37 pm

    [...] this online ad game - I’m not sure it’s in your DNA. If you really want to fight back, the nuclear option I presented you last week is still [...]

  18. Utterly Boring - Surfing The Web So You Don't Have To Says:
    April 16th, 2007 at 12:29 am

    While this totally screams of anti-trust, Microsoft could easily kill Google if they were to pull this off (be sure to read the follow up).

  19. Search, Marketing, and Musings: The Rimm-Kaufman Group Blog Says:
    April 16th, 2007 at 1:27 pm

    Microsoft is dead. For those needing the Cliff notes, “dead” doesn’t mean MSFT is going away. It means they’re just not relevant anymore. And Graham was writing before this DoubleClick deal. Paul Bryant suggests one way Microsoft could kill Google: block all text ads in IE. My favorite quote from Paul’s post: Microsoft would probably need to block their own ads too, in order to make the effort legitimate, but how big a loss would that be for them

  20. Reluctant Blogger » Microsoft vs. Google wrap-up Says:
    April 16th, 2007 at 6:48 pm

    [...] received what was, to me, some pretty remarkable feedback on this post. Aside from linked discussions, I also exchanged email with Barry Ritholtz, got commentary (albeit [...]

  21. For Microsoft, there’s always the “nuclear option” @ Scatterings Says:
    April 19th, 2007 at 10:02 pm

    [...] described Paul Bryant’s “doomsday” scenario to me as follows (hat tip to Alan, btw)… Microsoft simply introduces a Google ad blocker to [...]

  22. realtimepr.info » For Microsoft, there’s always the “nuclear option” Says:
    April 19th, 2007 at 11:32 pm

    [...] described Paul Bryant’s “doomsday” scenario to me as follows (hat tip to Alan, btw)… Microsoft simply introduces a Google ad blocker to [...]

  23. Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing: Since when does growing $4 Billion a year = Dead? Says:
    April 20th, 2007 at 3:39 am

    [...] How Microsoft could crush Google in one easy step. Seriously. from The Reluctant Blogger Henry Blodget has a post up on “One way for Microsoft to Kill Google” [...]

  24. XML Readings from 2007 Says:
    April 20th, 2007 at 4:08 am

    [...] How Microsoft could crush Google in one easy step. Seriously. (www.reluctantblogger.com) [...]

  25. TheBrandWiki: How Microsoft Could Kill Google Says:
    April 22nd, 2007 at 9:21 am

    [...] Reluctant Blogger points out that if MS installed an ad blocker into Windows, then those browsing with IE and Firefox would not [...]

  26. Nuzmo - Microsoft can kill Google in two ways Says:
    April 24th, 2007 at 3:39 pm

    [...] against Google AdSense. But then Google can simply do the same and level the competition again. http://www.reluctantblogger.com/2007/04/how-microsoft-could-crush-google-in-one.html Well, this just will not happen. I tend to agree with this post that Microsoft is dead. [...]

  27. صالح الزيد » Blog Archive » كيف تسحق مايكروسوفت جوجل؟؟ Says:
    April 25th, 2007 at 8:32 pm

    [...] الحديث طال طرح أفكار آخرى خبيثة في مدونة Reluctant Blogger إحداها في ماذا لو طرحت مايكروسوفت برنامجا لمنع ظهور [...]

  28. La sencilla receta para que Microsoft mate a Google at Verborragia Says:
    May 11th, 2007 at 11:45 am

    [...] en The Reluctant Blogger, de Paul Byant: Microsoft puede ocasionar un fuerte impacto en la principal vía de ingresos de [...]

  29. How Microsoft could crush Google in one easy step. (reddit.com) Says:
    May 14th, 2007 at 6:56 am

    [...] How Microsoft could crush Google in one easy step. (reluctantblogger.com) [...]

  30. +None » Adware gigante Says:
    July 18th, 2007 at 1:22 am

    [...] que a principios de año se sugería que MS podría bloquear las publicidades de Google hiriéndolo de muerte. Esto sería mucho más [...]

  31. Dare Obasanjo aka Carnage4Life - Best Idea Ever. Seriously. Says:
    September 3rd, 2007 at 7:46 pm

    [...] Bryant has a blog post entitled How Microsoft could crush Google in one easy step. Seriously. where he writes Henry Blodget has a post up on “One way for Microsoft to Kill Google” It’s [...]

  32. briongloid Says:
    December 21st, 2007 at 9:47 am

    hmm, don’t give them any ideas, dude, seriously.

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