Episode 33: Overture (with the Internet History Podcast!‪)‬

In episode 33 of Acquired, hosts Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal welcome Brian McCullough from the Internet History Podcast to discuss Yahoo's pivotal 2003 acquisition of Overture. The episode delves into the broader context of the technology landscape, highlighting the significant role of Overture in developing the paid search model and its subsequent influence on Google's AdWords. Despite Overture's early success, the acquisition by Yahoo, intended to bolster its search and advertising capabilities, ultimately failed due to integration challenges and cultural clashes. The conversation also touches on the importance of advertising-driven business models and the competitive dynamics between tech giants, underscoring the complex interplay between innovation, market forces, and corporate strategy.

• Hosts Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal introduce episode 33 of Acquired, featuring guest Brian McCullough from the Internet History Podcasts.
• Brian McCullough is known for his work on the Internet History Podcast and is a huge fan of the Acquired podcast.
• The episode will cover the acquisition of Overture by Yahoo in 2003, a significant event in Silicon Valley history.

"Welcome back to episode 33 of acquired, the show about technology acquisitions and IPOs. I'm Ben Gilbert. I'm David Rosenthal, and we are your hosts today. We've got a great guest with us, Brian McCullough from the Internet History podcasts."

• The quote introduces the hosts, the guest, and the topic of the episode, which is the acquisition of Overture by Yahoo.

• Overture originated from Idealab, an incubator from the late 1990s founded by Bill Gross.
• Idealab was responsible for several companies, including CarsDirect.com, NetZero, eToys.com, and goto.com.
• goto.com, later known as Overture, was a search engine where results were determined by advertiser bids rather than an algorithm.
• The business model was controversial as it was antithetical to the concept of organic search results.

"goto.com was a company that came out of an incubator in the late 1990s. Incubators were hot during the .com era, and one of the hot ones was what's."

• The quote provides context for the origin of goto.com and the environment of the late 1990s in which incubators were popular.

• Bill Gross announced goto.com at the TED conference in 1998, which was controversial due to its sales pitch nature.
• Despite the controversy, goto.com was quickly successful due to its pure advertising model.
• The model was similar to Google's eventual AdWords product but was initially a standalone destination, which limited its scalability.

"It was controversial, especially at the time. I mean, we're laughing looking back at it now, but this was completely antithetical to everything that people thought search should be."

• The quote highlights the controversial nature of goto.com's business model at the time of its introduction.

• Overture began syndicating its ad model to major search portals like AOL and Yahoo, which proved to be highly successful.
• This success came at a time when companies like Yahoo were experiencing significant financial struggles due to the bursting of the .com bubble.
• Yahoo's market cap plummeted, and it faced severe revenue shortfalls, which Overture's model helped to mitigate.

"So even though goto.com was successful, it was not successful enough because it wasn't scaling. So Bill Gross has the brilliant idea of syndicating the ad model of goto."

• The quote explains the strategic shift of goto.com to syndicate its ad model to larger platforms to achieve greater scale and success.

• Yahoo, heavily reliant on Overture's revenue, negotiated to acquire Overture for $1.4 billion, which was 25% less than Overture's initial asking price.
• Overture was in a vulnerable position due to its dependence on partnerships with traffic-heavy properties.
• The acquisition was one of the significant Internet space deals during the post-dot-com bubble era.

"Essentially, it's obvious to anyone listening to this story that Yahoo, if they're making all of their money from this deal with Overture, maybe wants to acquire the company that is suddenly responsible for most of their revenue."

• This quote indicates the strategic importance of Overture to Yahoo's revenue, leading to the acquisition.

• Google initially lacked a revenue model and focused on syndicating search results to portals.
• Observing Overture's success, Google adopted and improved upon the paid search model, introducing innovations like automated ad approval and targeting small advertisers.
• Google's innovations included an automated system for ad approval and the targeting of small advertisers, which expanded the search advertising market.
• Google introduced a key innovation where click response rates affected the bidding process, ensuring ad relevance and optimizing revenue.

"So Google does what is the obvious thing in retrospect, and probably even at the time they say, hey, maybe let's give this overture model a try."

• The quote describes Google's realization of the potential in Overture's model, leading to the development of Google's own paid search advertising model.

• Google's innovations were crucial in creating a more efficient and relevant advertising system, which ultimately outperformed Overture's model.
• By optimizing for both bid amount and click-through rates, Google was able to maximize revenue and relevance in its ad placement system.

"So they introduced this key innovation of the click response rates affect the bidding process for the keywords."

• This quote explains one of Google's key innovations that improved the efficiency of the paid search model, which became a cornerstone of their success.

• Google optimizes ad revenue by making ads more relevant to users.
• More relevant ads increase the likelihood of clicks, thereby increasing revenue.
• The complexity of the optimization problem requires significant engineering and technology resources.

"And then the second key point is that this is a really hard math problem and hard data problem that Google is going to need a lot of engineering and technology to solve."

• This quote highlights the complexity of the problem Google faces in optimizing ad revenue, necessitating advanced engineering and data analysis.

• Google introduced a change in the ad bidding process, charging advertisers only slightly more than the second-highest bid.
• This innovation increased marketplace efficiency and strengthened advertiser relationships.
• Advertisers benefited by paying less per click, increasing the attractiveness of Google's AdWords.

"On Google's model, if I pay $0.50, my competitor bids ten. If they click on my ad, I'm only paying $0.11, I'm only paying just over what the second person was bidding."

• This quote explains Google's innovative ad bidding strategy, which saves advertisers money and encourages them to use Google's platform.

• Sheryl Sandberg was brought in to lead the ad team at Google in February 2002.
• The introduction of cost per click and quality score for ads marked the modernization of AdWords.
• Sandberg's career was significantly boosted by the success of AdWords.

"It's February of 2002 that the modern Adwords as we know it, with the change to cost per click and with this quality score on ads, is introduced February of 2002."

• This quote marks the pivotal moment when AdWords was revamped, led by Sheryl Sandberg, to include cost per click and ad quality scoring.

• Yahoo was not originally a search engine but a human-powered directory.
• Google provided search results for Yahoo, and Yahoo's primary revenue was from banner ads.
• Yahoo noticed Google's success with AdWords and considered entering the search ad business.
• Yahoo's acquisition of Overture was driven by the desire to replicate Google's successful ad model.

"Yahoo is able to take a look at Google's internals... it can see when Google is similarly having incredible success syndicating its adwords ads."

• This quote reveals that Yahoo had insight into Google's success with AdWords, influencing its decision to acquire Overture and enter the search ad market.

• Yahoo purchased Inktomi and Overture to strengthen its search capabilities and ad business.
• Acquiring Overture tripled Yahoo's profits and significantly increased its stock price.
• Yahoo aimed to integrate the search engine with Overture's paid search business to compete with Google.

"So Yahoo's plan here is to integrate these two things, to bring the search engine in house, to marry it to overture's existing paid search business, and bam, they can replicate everything that Google has rapidly seen success with."

• This quote outlines Yahoo's strategy to merge Inktomi's search technology with Overture's paid search business to challenge Google's dominance.

• Yahoo struggled to integrate Overture's business due to cultural and technical differences.
• The display ad-focused culture of Yahoo clashed with the engineering-driven approach of search ads.
• Project Panama, Yahoo's initiative to compete with AdWords, faced delays and execution issues.

"It was a huge, on some level, technical headache to integrate the overture business into Yahoo."

• This quote describes the difficulties Yahoo encountered in merging Overture's search ad business into its existing operations.

• Overture sued Google for IP infringement, but the case was settled before Google's IPO.
• Yahoo, having acquired Overture, received a significant amount of pre-IPO Google stock.
• The settlement may indicate that Overture's patents were not strong enough to win a lawsuit.

"Yahoo gets, and we were talking about this over email, the numbers we're not sure about, I believe something like $400 million of Google stock, pre IPO Google stock."

• This quote discusses the settlement between Google and Overture, which resulted in Yahoo receiving a substantial amount of Google stock.

• Project Panama's launch was significantly delayed, allowing Google to solidify its market position.
• Yahoo's attempt to reset its search ad system caused it to lose momentum and market share to Google.
• By the time Yahoo launched Project Panama, Google's revenue and market dominance had far surpassed Yahoo's.

"Panama does not actually launch to the public, to companies willing to buy ads until February of 2007, so long after Google had ipO'd."

• This quote indicates the delayed launch of Yahoo's Project Panama, which hindered its ability to compete with Google's already established AdWords system.

• Overture's acquisition disrupted the ecosystem of customers, searchers, and search providers.
• Putting Overture engineers on hold for Project Panama slowed the growth of the ecosystem.
• Google capitalized on this disruption by improving its own marketplace and gaining market share.

"You really slow down the fuel into the ecosystem and the machine stops working."

• This quote emphasizes the negative impact of halting Overture's engineering efforts during the development of Project Panama, which allowed Google to gain an advantage.

• Yahoo's acquisition of Overture involved both technology and business line components.
• The integration aimed to create synergy by combining Yahoo's search engine with Overture's ad technology.
• The acquisition's success was hindered by Yahoo's indecision on whether to prioritize technology or business line.

"The problem is they acquired a technology and they also acquired a business line."

• This quote reflects the complexity of Yahoo's acquisition of Overture, which encompassed both technology and business aspects.

• Yahoo acquired Overture for its technology, aiming to compete in search with Google.
• Yahoo attempted to maintain Overture's existing business while integrating its technology into Project Panama.
• The acquisition was seen as an attempt to build a new business line in search without the cost of acquiring Google directly.
• Yahoo's decision to buy other search technologies and attempt to build it themselves was ultimately unsuccessful.

"Yahoo acquired a technology. They just acquired a, you know, I was going to say bad technology, but the reality is it wasn't bad in and of itself. It was just bad relative to Google. It was orders of magnitude less powerful."

This quote highlights that Yahoo's acquisition was not about the quality of the technology itself but its competitiveness relative to Google's superior technology.

• Yahoo's acquisition strategy was influenced by the success of Google, which was seen as a benchmark.
• There is a suggestion that Yahoo should have focused on acquiring Google rather than other smaller players in the search market.

"It's almost like they wanted to build a new business line in search. But rather than taking the market cap and cost pain of just acquiring Google, which they should have done, they decided instead, well, we'll buy these couple other players and search these technologies and build it ourselves into this new business line and clearly failed miserably."

The quote emphasizes Yahoo's strategic misstep in trying to build a new search business line through acquisitions rather than directly acquiring Google.

• Yahoo transitioned from a web directory to a media organization, initially underestimating the potential of search.
• The company's shift to a media focus led to a belated recognition of the lucrative nature of search advertising.
• Overture's innovation in paid search ads highlighted a significant missed opportunity for Yahoo.

"Yahoo very quickly has to try and figure out how do we pull an about face and get into this new really big business that's even bigger than the media business that we thought we were trying to get into."

This quote explains Yahoo's late realization of the potential in search advertising and the scramble to pivot into that space.

• Google's engineering-centric culture and technological advancements gave it a competitive advantage over Yahoo.
• Innovations like the Google File System and MapReduce were foundational to Google's success in search and ads.
• Yahoo's investment in Hadoop, an open-source project, was influenced by Google's technological approach.

"The ultimate point of PG's post that Brian sent to us is that Yahoo wasn't an engineering centric culture and Google was, and that to win its search you needed to have really excellent engineering and technology."

This quote underscores the importance of an engineering-centric culture in the search industry, which Google had and Yahoo lacked.

• Speculation on whether Yahoo could have focused on its display advertising business instead of pursuing search advertising.
• The possibility that Yahoo could have acquired DoubleClick to strengthen its position in display advertising.
• The discussion includes the strategic implications of Yahoo conceding the search ad market to Google.

"What if instead of Doubleclick being purchased by Google, Yahoo doubles down on display and it purchases Doubleclick? And then in the world of mobile that we now live in, where display is more suited to mobile advertising, would Yahoo have been in a stronger situation to be a major player in the next paradigm?"

This quote speculates on an alternative strategy for Yahoo that could have capitalized on its strengths in display advertising.

• The discussion reflects on the nature of competition and the importance of sustainable competitive advantages.
• Google's competitive advantage is attributed to its superior technology and the creation of a platform that better matches supply and demand.
• The concept of providing value to all participants in the ecosystem is highlighted as a key factor in enduring company success.

"These enduring companies are made when everybody in the ecosystem looks at it like, hey, this is not a zero sum game thing here. Everybody's doing well by this thing existing."

This quote illustrates the principle that a company's long-term success is often linked to creating a positive-sum environment for all stakeholders involved.

• Online marketplaces like Google and Amazon create a perception of value for both consumers and sellers.
• Consumers benefit from better prices, selection, and convenience.
• Sellers on marketplaces perceive a good deal due to the potential sales volume.
• Uber, while a dominant platform, has a perceived imbalance where drivers may not feel they are getting a good deal.

"I think there's a hole on the driver side. Right now I don't feel like drivers on Uber feel like they're getting a great deal."

• This quote highlights a perceived weakness in Uber’s business model from the perspective of drivers, suggesting that drivers may not feel adequately compensated or valued.

• Network effects, the flywheel, and ecosystem dynamics are crucial for growth.
• Incentive alignment across all parties in a platform is essential for continued investment and engagement.
• Google exemplified strong incentive alignment, encouraging users and advertisers to contribute to the platform.

"For continuing to grow those things is incentive alignment. And for everybody on each side, I keep saying it, but feel like they're getting a good deal."

• The quote emphasizes the importance of ensuring that all participants in a platform feel they are receiving value, which is a key driver of a platform's growth and success.

• Google's model created a marketplace where participants felt they benefited.
• The company's early reputation, encapsulated by the motto "Don't be evil," helped users accept its advertising model.
• Google's non-intrusive and relevant ads were in line with its positive public image.

"When they introduce ads to us, it doesn't feel terrible. It feels like Google intended. It felt like, yeah, these are ads, but they're not, you know, whack a mole animations flashing, taking over my screen."

• This quote reflects on Google's advertising strategy that was well-received by users because it was unobtrusive and relevant, reinforcing Google's positive reputation.

• Paid search is described as the greatest advertising engine ever devised.
• AdWords' success was due to targeting users at the point of intention.
• A personal anecdote highlights the immediate return on investment from using AdWords, which was compelling for businesses.

"My first startup, when I was 22, in college, I bought an ad on Goto before it was even overture. And I paid $40 and I paid $40 and got $80 back within 24 hours."

• This quote illustrates the effectiveness of paid search advertising, specifically the profitability and immediate returns that could be achieved, which was transformative for businesses.

• The flywheel effect describes how a platform grows through a virtuous cycle of attracting more customers and advertisers.
• The data generated from these interactions further improves the platform, continuing the cycle.

"Like more customers bring more advertisers, which gives more money to Google. And all the data generated by both further improve the search results, which bring more customers, which bring more advertisers."

• The quote explains the flywheel effect, where each component of the platform feeds into the other, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of growth and improvement.

• Yahoo's acquisition of various companies and attempts to integrate them is critiqued.
• Lack of clarity on the strategic purpose of acquisitions and integration failures are highlighted.
• Yahoo's identity as a media company, not a tech company, may have contributed to strategic missteps.
• The acquisition did not enable Yahoo to compete effectively in the search market dominated by Google.

"I'm going to call this a dud because while not being a total failure, this did not help Yahoo compete in what would eventually become entirely Google's market."

• This quote assesses Yahoo's acquisition strategy as unsuccessful in the long term, as it did not significantly improve Yahoo's competitive position in the search market against Google.

• The discussion turns to the broader impact of Yahoo's efforts on the tech ecosystem.
• Technologies and talent from Yahoo played a role in the development of companies like WhatsApp and Slack.
• The interactions within Silicon Valley are credited with driving innovation and leading to new technological advancements.

"It's both so sad for Yahoo that they had this talent and these technologies within the company, and now they're part of Verizon, but also just so great for innovation in the ecosystem that these people passed through there and met one another."

• This quote reflects on the dichotomy of Yahoo's situation: the loss of potential within the company contrasted with the positive impact its former talents had on the broader tech ecosystem.

• Personal anecdotes and recommendations are shared, including a discussion on an article about kindness in relationships.
• The conversation includes experiences with Dr. Gottman's relationship research and its impact on personal and professional interactions.
• Recommendations for travel and historical reading are given, highlighting the interplay between personal experiences and professional insights.

"Having a conversation sitting next to their spouse was to their bodies, like facing off with a saber toothed tiger."

• This quote from a recommended article on relationship dynamics captures the physiological stress that can occur in troubled relationships, underscoring the importance of kindness and understanding.