Publishers must focus on Microsoft as Google begins killing them with code

The 20-year slow drip of Google monopoly and publisher myopia is ending, and now the search giant is getting nasty to try to stay ahead...

A few years ago, Australia’s Fairfax Media was envied as a progressive publisher that pushed the digital envelope from its eye-catching headquarters on Sydney’s harbour.

Executives and directors openly boasted of being the best digital publisher in the world. I was part of the leadership team, and I watched, and listened.

My desk overlooked a park where colleagues played football at lunchtime, and locals walked their dogs. On the far side was Google’s offices. And I was troubled.

One day, I gathered the Fairfax commercial team together and asked them who they worked for. A long and baffled silence followed.

I explained: “I watch you arrive every day and log into Google. You check your Google stats, then check your campaigns are delivering, again using Google’s data.

“Then, you author reports to show how we are performing, citing Google as the source of truth.

“Later, our 80-strong direct sales team will spend the day preparing decks for ad clients filled with pages of facts from Google, …