So just how bad-tempered are relations between Ebay, the online auction monopoly, and Google, the search engine which is muscling in on its turf? Really bad, according to this report from Meg Whitman's jamboree last week in Boston. Google's Checkout team, who are trying to win over Ebay's biggest sellers to its low-cost credit card payment system, may have cancelled the party they planned in the fringes of the online auction house's big show. But, despite Ebay's threat to pull advertising from Google, the Checkout insurgents still couldn't resist a little ambush. At the closing-night party, two men wearing the Google logo on their black polo shirts were escorted out by Ebay security guards. So thin-skinned, these monopolists. The report, after the jump.
With Kool and the Gang performing for a rather packed dance floor, I noticed some big guys move past me, their white polo shirts saying "eBay Security". Along with them was a man working for the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, as well as the first speaker from the opening party (the opening party where CEO Meg Whitman talked about a lot of things and avoided mention of Google).
This quartet tapped the shoulders of two young men in front of me. They turned around, and on a black polo shirt I spied the Google logo. "Let's go have a chat," said one of the security men; he clearly was not asking. The Googlers smiled and complied, and they moved with their new handlers to the edge of the dance floor. I considered edging closer or taking pictures, but didn't want to get kicked out myself. The men talked to each other for 5 minutes, and the discussion seemed cordial enough. The Googlers were then escorted out of the building.
[Report from Google Blogoscoped forums and photo from Flickr]
Valleywag
Comments
nah, the guys were not from G but from a startup called mystorespace who use Google Checkout. Read about it firsthand here:
[mystorespace.blogspot.com]
You guys are way too assuming. Maybe it was a good "chat"..... one that led to someone's hotel room.
Kool and the Gang? Seriously?
Don't be surprised. Sillycon Valley parties are notoriously retro (sadly, in a lame way), mostly because the HR folks and senior management are in their late-forties or their fifties.
attending eBay Live is a lot like my big fat geek wedding. for the record: i've been to both ;)
- The tension between Google and eBay? It culminated in two men from Google gate-crashing eBay's recent party, and being escorted off the premises, undoubtedly off to discuss sellers' fees etc. - Yesterday was a momentous day in history, as it marked Ken Kutaragi's last day as CEO for Sony's game...
They weren't googlers apparently but still got kicked out by a senior VP at eBay, according to:
[mystorespace.blogspot.com]
Update: Paul in the comments [blog.outer-court.com] points to another post that makes it likely that these two weren't Google employees, but that due to their Google shirts (and perhaps the fact they were indirectly promoting Google Checkout in their conference chats), they were possibly mistaken for Google employees in any case by the security.
Is there a gay angle to this? I'm only commenting on gay stuff now. I think I'm gay.
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