Microsoft this week caught Google napping when it comes to the future of online search — much as Google caught Microsoft napping almost two decades ago when it came to the future of web browsers. And given the similarities between the two, Google should have been better prepared.
Think of it: Google’s rollout of Bard is reminiscent of Microsoft’s acquisition of Spyglass — the maker of Mosaic, remember? — back when Microsoft moved to compete with Netscape. Even with the Microsoft-Spyglass tie-up, upstart Google still won the browser war once Microsoft dispatched Netscape (a victory that was far less certain then than it looks now in retrospect).
