Interesting article and insights into both companies. As an outsider and someone who has never worked in either company, I have my own more consumer based outlook on both groups.

Amazon has effectively reimagined customers into profit. That is - visualize a large mobile dollar sign with feet. This is Amazon's customer. In this way the company can super focus on "customer service" and make everyone believe - God, these guys love me. When they mostly really love their profits ($$$). Makes life easier all around when you can pound on profitability while showcasing your customer service prowess. The customer feels this instinctively, even if not consciously. A company willing to sell you the same widget at $13.48 or $18.38 within minutes - loves you ... but not that much.

And Google is a lot like Seinfeld - a show about nothing in particular. But very, very popular. It provides an extremely popluar search engine - that is driven by AI and biased towards its own advertisers but does it in a way that makes most users feel honored to be amongst such good company. It then gathers immense amounts of information - which it sells, for immense amounts of profit.

Valuable -- I guess. The number of times each day I ask Google for something Must make it valuable. And yet, I wonder. For most of my life I didn't need it and now . . .

But I guess I am biased as well. I come from a time when shopping was done on a Saturday - list in hand - 10 stores and done. All that walking and talking and interacting - made for a fairly sociable being. And searching for answers . . . done at libraries and other places by walking and talking and interacting.

Hmm --- something to think about. Thanks for the prompt.