2020. Can we see the bottom of the moat yet? Let's consider the article's key argument: a combination of concerns including microsoft, facebook, and mapbox will kill Google Maps.

Facebook is on the ropes, completely rudderless with a big phone attached to their collective face. Mapillary might as well have been converted to neutrinos when Facebook acquired it.

Microsoft does not now nor did at any time possess a consumer map product that anybody gave a damn about. They do have a nice competitor to Google Earth Engine, that's cool. GEE is awesome by the way and the article fails to discuss it meaningfully.

Mapbox the company completely imploded after taking a huge round from softbank, failing to IPO, and going to war against its own key staff members.

Really the fact that the article goes all the way to the end without even mentioning Esri says a lot.