VERY good read. Thanks John.
You are correct that it has been a brilliantly executed plan. One thing that I did not read in there was the complicit part that Yahoo has played in the strategy. While Google was evangelizing and proclaiming their integrity, Yahoo was quietly hand editing (ala the famous Yahoo "handjobs") and selecting. (Read: relationship with Prudential real estate).
I think sometimes the guy who plays like he's on a white horse finds his image enhanced by those who make "less than algorithmic" changes...(grin) I think they played perfectly into Google's hand and lost market share as a result...
I also think that Yahoo could benefit from a
PR man / engineer / spin meister like Cutts...He's been a good investment IMHO for Google...
Best
Eric