Comments on: apples to apples http://blog.ginsudo.com/2009/02/09/apples-to-apples/ the way of ginsu Sat, 04 Sep 2010 20:51:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: ginsu http://blog.ginsudo.com/2009/02/09/apples-to-apples/#comment-32 ginsu Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:51:09 +0000 http://blog.ginsudo.com/?p=126#comment-32 Peter, I get that you compared the companies at the same age. My point is that this is like comparing a high school athlete to Michael Jordan in high school. The comparison is meaningless because whatever the similarities or dissimilarities, you cannot expect the kid to turn out to be Jordan. The best you can do is maybe project that he will become a pro basketball player. A comparison is a statement of implicit norms: when you compare something to something else, you imply that one *should* turn out like the other. But there is no *should* in becoming a Google (or Cisco, Intel, etc.). Getting to that megasize has so many factors that the path cannot be projected. Peter, I get that you compared the companies at the same age. My point is that this is like comparing a high school athlete to Michael Jordan in high school. The comparison is meaningless because whatever the similarities or dissimilarities, you cannot expect the kid to turn out to be Jordan. The best you can do is maybe project that he will become a pro basketball player.

A comparison is a statement of implicit norms: when you compare something to something else, you imply that one *should* turn out like the other. But there is no *should* in becoming a Google (or Cisco, Intel, etc.). Getting to that megasize has so many factors that the path cannot be projected.

]]> By: Peter Kafka http://blog.ginsudo.com/2009/02/09/apples-to-apples/#comment-31 Peter Kafka Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:31:05 +0000 http://blog.ginsudo.com/?p=126#comment-31 Hi there. I'm one of the commentators you cite at the beginning of your piece. One quick note: Absolutely agree that one should compare apples to apples. But in this case, I think it's fair to compare the standout business of the Web 2.0 era with the one from the previous year. And note that my comparison does indeed compare privately-held Facebook with Google when it was a privately-held company of the same age. The fact that there's a huge gap between the two when it comes to revenues and profits could be meaningful -- or not. That's up to you. But there is indeed a big gap. Hi there. I’m one of the commentators you cite at the beginning of your piece. One quick note: Absolutely agree that one should compare apples to apples. But in this case, I think it’s fair to compare the standout business of the Web 2.0 era with the one from the previous year. And note that my comparison does indeed compare privately-held Facebook with Google when it was a privately-held company of the same age. The fact that there’s a huge gap between the two when it comes to revenues and profits could be meaningful — or not. That’s up to you. But there is indeed a big gap.

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