
The craze around Big data has led to increasing number of startups and lot of venture funds being poured in. In this multi part series we will take a look at the complete Big Data technology stack and map the … Continue reading
The craze around Big data has led to increasing number of startups and lot of venture funds being poured in. In this multi part series we will take a look at the complete Big Data technology stack and map the … Continue reading
Reports are coming in today morning that Waze will be acquired by Google. If your were not following the news, here is a quick digest. Waze is a mobile mapping app which got to prominence for its real time traffic information using crowd sourced information. Based out of Israel, the company was in news lately as there were multiple bidders from the likes of Facebook and Apple.
I can understand why Waze was a hot acquisition target. Maps are considered as very important tool in any company’s basket which is aiming for glory in highly crowded smartphone and wearable device market. Location info is a highly valuable input for user profiling and ad targeting. The stakes are so high that Apple was worried about Google Maps as its default mapping app ( There are debates on this though) . Both Facebook and Apple were bidding for Waze. But eventually Google won the battle.
Google Maps are considered as golden standard for digital mapping . So what prompted Google to acquire Waze at 1.3B$ valuation which is one of its most expensive acquisitions. To have a quick idea about it – listen to what Waze CEO said sometime back – Waze’s only real competitor in Mobile space is Google Maps.
In my opinion, Google just thwarted its biggest threat in mapping. A standalone Waze could not have done much threat to mighty Google Maps. But in the hands of companies like Apple or Facebook, especially Facebook it’s a big threat to Google’s core business of ad targeting. Facebook already has an upper hand with treasure of user data, adding a solid location framework on top could have helped its yet to takeoff ad business.
People like your or me can only speculate on the reason for the acquisition, we will never know what the real reason was. If you look at the functionality of the two apps, there is not much Google Maps is really lacking. Google added real time traffic info to its mobile apps which has been Waze’s USP, so that has been evened out. If you look at review boards on why people like Waze ( especially who has experience with both Google Maps and Waze) they cite out two different use cases.
So can we expect Waze functionality on Google Maps ? A definite yes but not sure how long it will take. Google has decided to retain Waze brand and retain the Israel office and its employees for up to three years as per the deal – says news sources. That would mean Waze app will still be around.
What this would mean to other giants ? Tech evangelists are already wondering why Yahoo didn’t bid for Waze. By now everyone knows that Maps are hard but still it is a necessity – unless autopilots take over every transportation options that we know of. There are only two distinct approaches for making maps in my opinion.
Hope this acquisition does not create a monopoly for mapping apps. It took Apple Maps to force Google to come with a better design for Google Maps !
Competition is good for everyone !
Happy Sunday folks !