Google Takes Stricter Approach to Costs

wsj.com

20 points·IBM··9 comments

""Google revenue grew 19% in 2014, down from 21% in 2013, 22% in 2012 and 29% in 2011. But operating expenses grew 31% last year""

I worked at Google's main office in 2013. I am pro Google but I have to question the long term viability of relying mostly on web ads. If I am not programming or writing, then I am on my cellphone - same as most people, a smartphone is the main device I use. I don't like ads on my phone, but they don't bother on a laptop web browser because of the surfeit of screen space.

I imagine mobile phone screens will get larger as flexible displays become popular. I imagine a phone you flip open and an origami screen will unfurl like one of those credit-card sized Tube (subway) maps.

I appreciate and enjoy your optimism 8)

question: why don't you make your browser window smaller?

My laptop's own screen is too tiny to be usable for long periods, which is why I plug in a real screen. But on the real screen, I generally have several different windows open and positioned around the screen. I don't get this idea of "well, so much screen space was being wasted anyway that it doesn't matter if junk gets filled into it". I don't have trouble filling my own screen...?

Any link to by-pass the pay wall?

ps: it is funny that this is posted by 'IBM' :)

Oddly, search "Google Takes Stricter Approach to Costs" on Google, and click the link you see in the search results.

I wonder if iOS 9 and the increasing usage of Ad Blockers in general will make a dent in Google's ad revenue and give GOOG more reason to pause?

I agree. I have thought the same thing. On my Android Note 4, on the other hand, the,ads are not blocked. This is probably not a coincidence.

Firefox for Android + your favorite extension will work.

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