> The other thing that rings true in the NYT story is the detail that Google told Sonos it would pull Google Assistant support if Sonos enabled simultaneous wake words. That’s the feature which lets speakers listen for both “Alexa” and “Okay Google” at the same time. Google really comes off looking like a bully.
I usually read the article first, the comments second and write something when I think I have something to add to the discussion.
I really wish you read the HN rules specifically mentioning not to comment about assumptions on reading!
This is answered in the article. That's what GhettoMaestro is talking about. Specifically - Google said that it would pull Assistant support if Sonos added support to simultaneously listen for Alexa. That's the answer as to why they don't support 2 competing interfaces. Not a technical decision - but looks more like a business decision from Google.
Even if you disregard bullying - this seems like a way for Google to assert exclusivity.
>APIs that every consumer can hookup with IFTTT
This only works if the API is open enough to use. I somehow don't think Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant agreements with third-parties would support that.