
How nine of the world’s largest tech companies got started - wird
http://royal.pingdom.com/2008/11/10/how-nine-of-the-worlds-largest-tech-companies-got-started/
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zandorg
Google knew how to dodge Microsoft after Netscape succumbed - by adapting so
not to make a mistake twice (desktop software). Fool you once I'm a
millionaire, twice I'm a billionaire.

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SingAlong
Something caught my eye on that page - old Canon logo. Just take a closer look
at the logo and you'll find that it's the logo looks like an Indian Goddess.
Sitting on a lotus is Saraswati but the face looks like Kali. And with
multiple hands. One hand on the left has the mala(a sacred chanting chain) and
a another above that has an axe.

A Japanese company with an Indian logo??

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hwijaya
It's actually refer to this Guan Yin Goddess, not, Indian Goddess.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guan_Yin>

From what I know, some Japanese worship her as well. Maybe it was much more
popular in old days.

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josefresco
Anyone think Google will be around in 100 years?

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mixmax
Statistical evidence would say no.

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maurycy
What statistical evidence says so?

The oldest large tech companies have mere 50 years, and they still seem to do
more or less fine (eg, IBM, Apple, Microsoft).

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mixmax
yes, but you're looking backwards and seeing which companies survived. This is
very different from looking forward and predicting which companies will
survive.

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netcan
OK then. Give us some statistical evidence from the future.

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Retric
No, he is suggesting you take large companies from 50 years ago and see how
they are doing. If you take companies that are around today it's going to look
like 100% of companies stick around or are bought out and the only question is
for how long.

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netcan
Right uh, sorry.

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liuliu
It is very interesting that companies out of U.S. are doing sth totally
different from now in the beginning. IBM, HP, Motorola and only one Japanese
company Canon on the track of "naturally" evolving. Why no American companies
on the list jumped to a totally irrelevant area?

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lacker
Well, a lot more Japanese and Korean companies are congolomerates. They jump
to different areas all the time. In fact, about half the South Korea GDP is
produced by four companies - Hyundai, Samsung, LG and SK. In Seoul there is an
entire mall devoted to Hyundai products.

If you want a good American example, try GE. Started by Edison to sell various
electrical inventions, part of the original Dow Jones in 1896, nowadays GE
includes finance, energy, NBC, airplane and train engines, all sorts of crazy
stuff.

