Google, Amazon, Microsoft, E-Bay, Yahoo! (GAMEY!). We are rapidly working our way to hyper-centralization on the net. We will soon see a few of these merge, creating the big three content makers that will be akin to the big three automakers. When that happens, we will enter the net equivalent of the 1970s - when the auto industry in the US was so powerful they were able to totally forego quality in favor of cost cutting.
Web 2.0 is being gobbled up by the majors. Skype to e-Bay, Flickr and del.icio.us to Yahoo!
We are rewarding this, however. The current flip strategy for Web 2.0 is to build a platform, get buy-in and then sell-out. Excellent strategy for making money - but is it building the free and open internet we desire? As companies become more and more associated with the entirety of the Internet, how will that impact open protocols, open source and innovation?
Consolidation of power does not have a good track record for fostering creativity.
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