What's that old adage? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. This could turn out to be one of those situations.
In a deal between two of the Internet’s most prominent properties, Google will begin selling advertising for Web auctioneer eBay outside the United States and help buyers quickly ring an online merchant to do business.
The deals keep on coming. So, who's this good for?
A deal by convenience or necessity? I'm not sure I know.
“We have a chance to create a whole new way for buyers and sellers to connect online and to create what we hope will be a significant revenue stream for both eBay and Google,” eBay Inc. Chief Executive Meg Whitman said in an interview Sunday night.
Interdependence is a way to ensure everyone's survival. At least that's what many people hope.
Under the partnership, Google will become the exclusive provider of text advertising on eBay outside the United States. In May, eBay announced a deal with the No. 2 Internet search engine, Yahoo Inc., to serve all its domestic advertising.
Methinks it's more likely the cyclical nature of business.
The deal represents the latest advertising win for Google. Earlier this month, News Corp. agreed to make Google the exclusive search partner for most of its sites, including the popular online hangout MySpace.com. Late last year, Time Warner Inc.’s AOL agreed to sell a 5 percent stake to Google in a $1 billion deal that extends and deepens the ties between the two.
First we have the dot com rage. Geeks in their garages going from rags to riches. Then the buyouts and mergers begin as the egos and bank accounts swell. In the not-too-distant future, these new monoliths will find themselves outmaneuvered by the next generation of upstart entrepreneurs.
Don't you just love economics - in the real world.
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