qwning the GooglePlex, pt 3
The durability of Google's competitive advantage is based, in large part, on it's ability to free ride on the world's info.
Now that complementors and those further down the value chain are understanding that they're being atomized, that advantage is under increasingly serious threat - and so Google is forced to acquire inputs at increasingly costly factor prices.
This implies another, very simple, way to compete with Google - push up the costs of factor prices, and make it increasingly expensive for Google to continue indexing (read: free riding) off the world's information.
Alternatively, free ride off Google - even if it doesn't earn you returns; just so you can begin to dilute Google's market power.
Or, finally, at least use this weak spot as a source of reputation leverage against Google.
