The end of the world as we know it

“Worth a read?” is not your ordinary book review; it is a meta-review. In other words, it provides an overview of the opinions contained in a variety of book reviews published in the media at large. This week we take a look at “Googled: The end of the world as we know it”, written by Ken Auletta and released in South Africa in March 2010.

What’s it all about?

The past four years have seen no fewer than six new books being published on what must be one of the wonders of the modern world: Google. Generating approximately $20 billion in advertising revenue a year – and most of this from three-line text ads – Google is in a position to do pretty much whatever it wants … to the endless irritation of traditional media companies.

Like other books on this phenomenon, “Googled” describes the rise of what is poised to become the world’s first $100 billion media company. Stories abound of the two founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and interviews with current and former Google employees provide some revealing human moments about the inner workings of the company.

However where Ken Auletta’s book differs is in its evaluation of the way in which Google has steamrollered into traditional media with almost virus-like intensity. From newspapers and books through to television, movies, telephones and advertising, Google has left no traditional media sector untouched.

But does the behemoth respect the nature of the industries it is trying to disrupt? Is its habit of doing what it wants (without asking for permission) in line with its mantra ‘Don’t Be Evil’? Will Google be able to survive the idealism, naivety and left-brain thinking of its founders and executives? And will the company be able to make money from something besides advertising?

If Google’s impact on the traditional media sector is anything to go by, only one thing is certain: You usually don’t realise you’ve become redundant until it’s too late.

Who’s the author?

Ken Auletta has been a communications reporter for The New Yorker for 18 years. He is the author of 11 books, most of them covering the media sector and five of which have become national bestsellers.

What do others say?

“Googled” is perhaps best described as a book with two parts. The first part covers the rise of Google to the opportunistic company it is today, while the second focuses on its impact on the traditional media sector.

Publishers Weekly provides a succinct evaluation of these two parts:

‘The first Google makes for a standard-issue tech-industry grunge-to-riches business story, its main entertainment value being Brin’s and Page’s comical lack of social graces. But [the author] makes the second Google a starting point for a sharp and probing analysis of the apocalyptic upheavals in the media and entertainment industries.’

Much of what is revealed in the first part will be old news to those who have read any of the myriad of books and articles on Google. However, “Googled” has been said to be less of a near-history, and it is far less star-struck in its evaluation of the founders and the inner workings of the business.

The second part of the book is newer and more enlightening. Auletta investigates the challenges Google faces to maintain focus and remain relevant, and the increasing opposition it faces from media companies and government regulators. He also covers the growing tension between the company’s good intentions and the consequences of its actions, showing that Google may perhaps be struggling to stay in line with its altruistic mantra.

The Washington Post: “Auletta won unprecedented cooperation from the founders and the company brass to tell the inside story in great detail. But our deep familiarity with Google tends to work against his book. If you’ve read other books about Google…the narrative will seem a little worn.”

The New York Times: “[W]hat Auletta mainly does is talk shop with CEO’s, and that is the great strength of the book. Auletta seems to have interviewed every media chief in North America, and most of them are unhappy, one way or another, with what Google has become.”

Guardian.co.uk: “This model [of not asking for permission] has stood the company in very good stead, but it plainly involves an attitude in which innocence and arrogance are emulsified together. Auletta is very good on this: the complete sincerity of the Googlers’ good intentions, blended with their oblivious indifference to other people’s perspectives.”

How do I get hold of it?

“Googled: The end of the world as we know it” is published by Ebury Press. It is available at Exclusive Books at a price of approximately R179.00.