How do you say “Google” in Chinese?
by Dima on July 17, 2008
in Google, interesting, internet
There is a really vibrant discussion going on nowdays about the potential colaboration between Google and Yahoo. Some claim that the venture can end up with Google gaining control of 90% of the advertising market in North America. To a large degree Google’s leading position in online advertizing market is based on its leadership in the world of search, where Google is a definite global leader.
However, it appears that one place where Google isn’t winning the search (and online advertisement) battle(s) is in one the fastest growing economies today – China. The local rival’s name is Baidu and according to this article it holds 60% of the Chinese search market, compared to Google’s 25%. The article goes on to discussion of potential reasons for the gap, attributing it primarily to Baidu’s business practices and better cultural fit to the Chinese business culture.
I think it is a really interesting case of how culture interacts with technology and business. I also wonder to what extent internet policies employed by the Chinese government (primarily filtering of the content) are actually helping the competitive advantage of Baidu?
I know another developing economy where Google is not a leader and, I think, not even second. Yahoo’s director in charge of a search business left to the local search giant (or rather its American branch).