Scribbles

Cross posted from my Google Plus profile.

Could Google+ be a turning point for Google against its competitors? Not in the product or revenue sense, but in the human capital arena? While everyone has focused on the typical measures of success for Google+, metrics like number of users or activities, I think we’re overlooking how positively this affects the company morale, keeping those smart people in place.

Only months ago we were reading about how the company bled talent. People were leaving in droves to either start their own companies or join the darling tech startup du jour, be it Facebook or Foursquare. Techcrunch posted confirmed news on Google offering individuals millions of dollars to counter these departures. Despite those outlandish offers, many were still turned down.

In the meanwhile, startups in the valley (and NYC) has been flush with investment cash, pouring rocket fuel on the war for tech talent on an order unseen since the first Internet bubble. Companies are still raising cash in bullish valuations at early stages.

Google+ has been a decisive coup for Google in this respect. Let’s face it, the tech echo chamber in its praise for G+ has been deafening. Although the average Internet user may not care, in the valley, tech people still care very much about what the likes of Robert Scoble are saying. If I were working at Google, I’d feel that sense of redemption after suffering from all the defection talks and product missteps repeated ad nauseum. The new product shows the world that the company is still capable of pushing out amazing technology that users can see and touch.

I don’t know how successful G+ will ultimately become, whether it will supplant any of the competitors out there. I doubt anybody can predict markets and user behavior, but that’s beyond the point. I am saying that the tech media approval translates to an immense win for retaining the company’s talent. Assume some engineers who considered fat offers now decide to stick around for a while longer. It’s fun, it gets attention, and everyone’s curious how it plays out. And perhaps they stay long enough for the market to cool off and external options start looking a lot less attractive. That outcome alone should be praised for.

[Not that I have not talked to any Google employee directly about my speculations above. This is purely my conjecture as an outsider to the company and insider to the G+ echo chamber.]