https://placing.technology/how-does-google-maps-make-money-or-the-curious-case-of-vanessa-mayer I got mad at a paper and then I laid out why I lowkey don't think Google Maps is profitable
@ingrid Based on the current feature releases, they are now slowly going in the Yelp direction and will likely introduce traditional sponsored listing and banners.
@ingrid I think you might be underestimating the value of location history + searches in maps. Google famously stopped using Gmail data to target ads, has not done the same with Google Maps/location history. The Gmail thing happened because Enterprise customers were reluctant use to Gmail otherwise. It also could be that it's just cheap to store location and enjoy the marginal benefits of location data; and they keep collecting the data as a matter of status quo, not intentionally.
@dalan fair! And even the low end estimates of revenue are nothing to sniff at. Maybe another way to frame this is if it has earned back the sunk costs that went into making it back in the day?
@recursive @ingrid Very plausible second order effect of that split.
I think Google mostly would spin it off into a new entity and pay for a non-exclusive license from said entity
Or they might enshittify the app to recover more revenue
Lot of options!
@ingrid thought it was about tracking and control, not profit.
@cowboy_oh_gee I think that is a piece of the whole yes
@ingrid Google Maps may or may not be $ profitable but navigation is such a core utility now that they can't let someone else win here. It strengthens Google's hold on Android via Google services, and gives them negotiating power with OEMs.
IMO Google Maps started off as a way to augment search but later became a navigation/mapping utility on it's own. Google has attempted to monetize maps directly sponsored pins, etc. but don't think that yielded much.