Buying Google Stock

Alright, Shinnfans. I bought Google shares when they were $190 each, about 8 months ago. 20 minutes ago their stock price hovered at $309.40. I know this because I have stock ticker in my Google Desktop Bar that’s always giving me current quotes. Well, I just read a Reuters article (also via my GDB) that announced Google’s next round of stock offerings will be tomorrow. So, for those of you who said to me, “Wow. Those are amazing returns. How can I invest like that?”, you now have the chance to own a little slice of one of the most innovative companies on the web today. Here’s my analysis:

• Personnel outlook: Google’s been hiring some of the software industry’s top talent. From the guy who invented the TCP/IP protocol for the U.S. Military while working at Stanford in 1977 (Vincent Cerf) to one of Microsoft’s Heavy Hitters (Dr. Kai-Fu Lee), Google is hiring some interesting folks. Which leads to my next point:

• Strategic outlook: All this has raised speculation about their future directions. No one quite knows where Google’s going to go. Possible competitors: Microsoft, Yahoo, Skype (who was just purchased by E-Bay), E-Bay, and almost anyone else. Again, no one quite knows where Google is going to go. 5 years after everyone concluded nothing new could come from the web-based e-mail gig, Google introduced Gmail. This caused an e-mail revolution that’s left Yahoo and MSN struggling to catch up. Gmail is also a prime example of a Web 2.0 interface: one of the leading new kinds of web applications that rely on Javascript and XML, simple technologies, to deliver new whiz-bang interfaces that don’t require pages to reload to display new information. Gmail may ultimately be more important for where it pushes interface design than for its 2.4 gigs of free storage space. What does this mean? It means you can count on some wacky new solutions and you can expect to see them pop up in some unexpected places in the market.

What does all this mean for you? It means that if you’re looking for my investment advice, you’re got it: buy Google tomorrow. Lots of it. And if you make astronomical gains, thank me. If Google spreads too thin and enters markets that don’t work for them or cause them to lose their edge in the compeition, don’t blame me. It IS the stock market, after all.

Cheers,
Andrew