Cuil is an interesting example, but I have a very different recollection of it.
Cuil may have been on to something great, but their technology didn't produce results. To say "nobody cared" is completely false. They launched to pretty serious fanfare. The technology press was, for a brief period, infatuated with the idea of ex-Googlers killing Google.
It was the technology that failed. The results were a mess and very often completely irrelevant. Cuil was well positioned to compete head-to-head with Google, but they failed to execute. I gave them a shot and they sent me right back into Google's arms (I did the same with DDG as well fwiw).
I think search, more than anything else, is an area that gives you the best chance of gaining a toe-hold against a monolithic company like Google. Although you'll be acquired the moment you gain any real traction:)
Cuil may have been on to something great, but their technology didn't produce results. To say "nobody cared" is completely false. They launched to pretty serious fanfare. The technology press was, for a brief period, infatuated with the idea of ex-Googlers killing Google.
It was the technology that failed. The results were a mess and very often completely irrelevant. Cuil was well positioned to compete head-to-head with Google, but they failed to execute. I gave them a shot and they sent me right back into Google's arms (I did the same with DDG as well fwiw).
I think search, more than anything else, is an area that gives you the best chance of gaining a toe-hold against a monolithic company like Google. Although you'll be acquired the moment you gain any real traction:)