There’s No Such Thing As A Google Killer
So let’s just get this out of the way: there is no such thing as a Google killer. No company is going to play David to their Goliath and slay them with a well-aimed stone from a slingshot. Google is here to stay.
Why do I bring this up? I am one of the founders of a search start-up. One that recently raised money from a couple of great venture capital firms. So whenever anything is printed about us, or even comes up in causal conversation, the term “Google killer” gets bandied about. Again, I think you’re as likely to see a Google-killer as you are to find Sasquatch or the Loch Ness monster.
So why join a search start-up then? Because I don’t believe to be successful in this business you need to be a Google-killer. In fact, trying to be a Google-killer is probably the one sure way not to succeed.
If you were to start a soft-drink company, would you be a Coke killer? Would you create a product that tasted exactly like Coke and put it in a red can? Of course not, that would be product suicide. You make something that tastes different and package it differently – Snapple, Red Bull, Vitamin Water.
We think the same about search. Google isn’t going anywhere. We think there are a lot of problems that search isn’t addressing right now that it could be. And that’s where we want to play. Own a category or die. So no, we’re not a Google killer. But stay tuned for more…