Podcasts Technology Acquired Episode 20: Android

Episode 20: Android

Published: Sept. 16, 2016, 1:10 p.m.

Ben & David examine Google\u2019s 2005 purchase of Android for a rumored $50M, undeniably one of the best technology acquisitions of all time. But will it top the list of these tough graders? Tune in to find out.\xa0

Sponsors:
ServiceNow: https://bit.ly/acquiredsn
Statsig: https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig24
Vanta: https://bit.ly/acquiredvanta


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Topics covered include:\xa0
  • Welcome new listeners! We quickly review the show format for newbies.\xa0
  • Community spotlight: Patagonia on a Budget from community member Matt Morgante (@mattm on Slack)
  • Andy Rubin\u2019s career trajectory and what made him \u201cborn to start Android"
  • The undeniable \u201ccool factor\u201d of the Danger Sidekick in the early/mid-2000\u2019s, including fans such as \xa0Larry Page, Sergey Brin and\u2026 Turtle from Entourage\xa0
  • Android\u2019s original ambition to build an operating system for\u2026 \xa0digital cameras
  • WebTV founder Steve Perlman is \xa0pretty much the best friend ever\xa0
  • Google\u2019s own perspective on Android as their \u201cbest deal ever"
  • The Android team\u2019s reaction to Steve Jobs unveiling the iPhone in January 2007, and redesigning the initial launch hardware\xa0
  • Announcing Android and\u2014equally importantly\u2014the Open Handset Alliance (\u201cOHA\u201d)
  • The much-talked-about "mobile holy wars", between Android\u2019s \u201copen\u201d platform and Apple\u2019s \u201cclosed\u201d platform\xa0
  • The less-talked-about US carrier wars with the iPhone + AT&T in one camp, and everyone else in the Google / OHA camp (including \u201cDroid Does\u201d)
  • A quirk of history: HTC at one point acquires a majority share in Beats, resulting a short-lived period of \xa0Beats-branded Android phones (still available on Amazon!)
  • The real battleground for Google in the mobile platform wars: the economics of \u201cdefault search\u201d (briefly known thanks to the \xa0Oracle/Java lawsuit against Google)\xa0
  • Google\u2019s detour into smartphone hardware with the acquisition (and subsequent divestiture) of Motorola\xa0
  • The \u201cfork-ability\u201d of Android via the Android Open Source Project (versus \u201cGoogle Android\u201d), and the rise of Xiaomi, Cyanogen, Kindle Fire and other platforms
  • The ecosystem economics of the Android business for Google\xa0
  • \u201cDefensive\u201d versus \u201coffensive\u201d acquisitions, and protecting Google\u2019s core search business\xa0
  • Could (or would) Google have built an Android-like platform without acquiring Android the company (or having Andy Rubin)?
  • Framing the technology world\u2019s shift to mobile within (surprise) Ben Thompson\u2019s Aggregation Theory
  • The current \u201cmoving up the stack\u201d of the competitive playing field as the mobile landscape matures\xa0
  • Grading: Android versus Instagram?

\xa0 Followups:\xa0

\xa0 Hot Takes:\xa0

  • The iPhone 7 (and AirPods) announcement\xa0

\xa0 The Carve Out:\xa0