MMB Chapter 192 Instant Messaging
Chapter 192 Instant Messaging
Chapter 192 Instant Messaging
After the group's senior management meeting ended, everyone returned to their posts and performed their duties. However, Ernst was thinking about something else: a crucial auxiliary tool for his business.
In the chairman's office, a spacious and bright room, Ernst sat on the sofa, lost in thought.
Shortly after, there was a knock on the door, and Igor Patterson, the chief technology officer of Google Mail, entered the office.
The office door closed again, and Ernst pointed to the sofa next to him and said, "Sit down first."
After the other person was seated, the secretary brought in coffee and left the room. Only then did Ernst fix his gaze on the other person and speak with a serious expression.
"I want you to secretly assemble a development team to develop a new product. I wonder what your thoughts are?"
Before the other party could reply, Ernst spoke again, "If you choose to agree, then you will have to resign from your position as CT0 of Google Mail. Think it over carefully."
Google today is no longer the small workshop it once was; it is now a powerful and well-equipped company.
Talent is no longer a problem for Google. Ask anyone at Google, and half of them will tell you they come from top universities like Stanford and MIT.
Located in Silicon Valley, a hub for internet talent, while the number of internet professionals isn't as explosive as it will be two years from now, it's certainly not small.
Therefore, Ernst wanted to solicit the other party's opinion rather than issue a direct order, leaving everything to the other party's wishes.
Igor Patterson is definitely the best and most suitable candidate. Google Mail was developed under his leadership, and there is some overlap with the new business.
If the other party disagrees, Ernst will not force the issue and can always assemble another research and development team.
Ernst was clearly overthinking it. A purely technical person like Igor Paterson doesn't have that much ambition or covet power.
Not only did the other person not think, Ernst also saw a hint of expectation on their face.
Without much thought, he immediately said, "I do."
In fact, Igor had long been dissatisfied with his current work situation.
Since Gmail entered a stable operating period, his work has mostly consisted of technical improvements, bug fixes, and preliminary exploration of new features. While these tasks are important, they lack groundbreaking challenges.
Especially after being appointed as the CT0 of Google Mail, he had to spend a lot of time dealing with administrative affairs such as departmental management and cross-departmental coordination, which was far from his original intention of loving technology and wanting to develop innovative products.
Although the salary was high, it was clearly not what he wanted most. But for a pure technical talent like him, the opportunity to take on new challenges was far more attractive than power and salary.
Seeing Igor's decisive attitude, Ernst smiled with satisfaction.
He leaned back slightly on the sofa, his tone becoming more relaxed. "Since you're willing, let's talk about the specifics of the research and development."
Igor immediately straightened up, picked up the notebook and pen he had brought, his eyes filled with anticipation, and asked impatiently, "What specific aspect of the business is it?"
In response to Igor Paterson's eagerness, Ernst slowly began to speak about "IM business."
Upon hearing this unfamiliar term, Igor's expectant expression instantly turned into confusion.
He subconsciously tilted his head slightly, bringing his right ear closer to Ernst, as if worried he had misheard, and asked again to confirm, "IM business?"
After receiving Ernst's affirmative nod, Igor frowned and asked with a mixture of doubt and curiosity, "What kind of business is this?"
He assured that this was a completely new term he had never heard of before, and at the same time, he became even more excited.
Although Google Mail was a groundbreaking development that made Igor famous in the internet community, it was still based on the experience of predecessors.
He was certain that the United States did not yet have a product like the IM that Ernst was referring to.
"IM, in fact, is an instant messaging service. It mainly has two functions: the first is real-time communication, and the second is internet community attributes."
Ernst laid out all his thoughts: "We all know that email is very convenient, but it also has its drawbacks, namely the delay problem."
"Even sending a simple email requires server forwarding and recipient viewing, unlike our face-to-face communication and real-time feedback."
"Unlike instant messaging, even two people across a continent can communicate with each other instantly through text, just like we are now..."
As Ernst spoke more and more, Igor's eyes grew brighter and brighter. He felt as if a new door had opened for him, something he had never imagined before.
"It's truly a brilliant idea," Igor Paterson exclaimed sincerely after Ernst finished speaking.
Ernst shook his head slightly and said calmly, "This is not my idea. In fact, similar software has already appeared on the market."
Igor's eyes widened instantly. He shook his head almost instinctively, saying with an incredulous firmness, "Impossible! If such a revolutionary idea appeared on the American market, I couldn't possibly not know about it."
In the American internet industry in 1997, the entire industry was filled with a sense of pride. Everyone felt that the internet was America and no one paid any attention to the outside world, which was considered a wilderness of the internet.
"I'm not lying to you. When you get back, you can download an Israeli software called ICQ. That's the project we're working on."
When Ernst was planning to develop instant messaging software, he specifically investigated the pioneer of instant messaging software.
It was born in November of last year, which is half a year ago.
Although it became very popular after its release, it is currently only popular in Israel and its surrounding areas.
A month ago, ICQ officially entered the European market, and it might be introduced to the United States this year.
However, ICQ truly exploded in popularity in 1998, thanks to the massive internet user base in the United States.
In the second half of the year, the number of IcQ users exceeded 1000 million.
Ernst looked at the other person and continued, "Igor, you need to understand that this instant messaging software is crucial to Google's future."
"Through the Internet, users can now browse web pages, read news, and even shop online. The Google Tunes and Google Video projects that we are promoting will also provide users with more entertainment options. In the future, there will be more and more choices on the Internet."
"But as users’ behavior on the Internet becomes more diverse, a key issue has emerged: the isolation of users in the online world."
"Take online shopping as an example. When purchasing goods, users cannot communicate directly with sales staff to understand the details of the product as they can when shopping offline. Even if they have questions, they can only provide feedback through email or message boards and wait for the merchant's delayed response, which can easily lead users to abandon the purchase."
"For example, when listening to music, watching movies, or reading news, users may see content they like and want to share or discuss it with friends, but there is no convenient channel. They can only share via phone or email, which makes real-time sharing impossible."
"These are the drawbacks of the current online world, and instant messaging software is the key to solving these drawbacks." Ernst's tone became increasingly serious.
"With instant messaging, users can consult, share, and even form online communities to communicate and interact with like-minded people at any time. In a sense, instant messaging allows users to recreate real-life social scenarios on the Internet, which not only enhances the user's Internet experience but also builds a closer Internet ecosystem."
"And this ecosystem will become Google's core competitive advantage for future development."
One more thing, that is, you must enter the venue.
Microsoft's acquisition of Hotmail has been brought forward; the next step is to integrate it into MSN.
Correspondingly, the instant messaging software MSN Messenger may also be launched ahead of schedule.
Yahoo! Messenger will also enter the preparation stage in the second half of this year.
The internet is a winner-takes-all industry, so seizing the initiative is still very important.
Although both Microsoft and Yahoo have a large user base to drive traffic, Ernst's advantage is undoubtedly greater.
Google has just as many users as any of them, but it also has two trump cards to win over users: instant messaging, gaming, and e-commerce.
Leaving aside the YueDong gaming platform, gamers have a strong demand for real-time interaction, and a huge number of game fans will connect to their own instant messaging software, which will be a massive user base.
As for e-commerce, Ernst's face darkened at the thought; he was determined to smother Amazon.
"What's the name? What should this project be called? It can't be called the IM project, can it?" Igor raised his head, his eyes full of enthusiasm.
Ernst paused briefly to think upon hearing this. The project name not only needed to reflect the product's attributes but also need to align with Google's branding system, while also being easy for users to remember and share.
A few seconds later, he looked at Igor and slowly said, "Let's call it Google Connect."
The name "Google" clearly identifies the product's ownership, allowing users to immediately recognize it as a Google product, which helps leverage Google's brand influence to open up the market.
"Tong" refers to the communication attribute of instant messaging, and also implies interconnection.
Since it's an internet interface product, it should naturally belong to Google. The more products and businesses Google has, the bigger the bubble will eventually grow.
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