Excite Said No to Buying Google for $750,000
When your business model depends on users getting less of what they want, you're on borrowed time.
In 1999, Google's founders offered to sell their search engine to Excite for $750,000. Excite said no because Google's search was too good — it helped users find what they needed too quickly, which meant they'd leave the site faster. Excite wanted users to stick around and see more ads. They optimized for the wrong metric and passed on the most valuable company of the next two decades.
From Episode 457: The Simple Way to Create More Luck, Friends, and Opportunity
Shared by Sheel Mohnot
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