Google X Working on the Web of Things? Should we Like it or Fear it?

Update: There is a pretty relevant discussion about that going on in the Web of Things LinkedIn group, make sure your check it out!

Yes, the news came out a few days ago through the New York Times:

At Google X, where he is working on the Web of things, according to people familiar with his role, he has the mysterious title of rapid evaluator

So Google might well be working on the Web of Things. We, we kind of guessed already, through project like the Android at Home (which is you ask me is definitely missing the “Web” of “Web of Things”). However, I’m asking you, fellow WoTers, should we fear it or like it? How much of it is “land-grabbing” and how much is actual work-in-progress?

I’m willing to like it because it will generate a lot of attention to our field, but to fear it as well as their announcements might kill many startups in the egg based on bulldozer-type of marketing and the “if google does it we can’t be as good” syndrome (because, yes they are good!). You want an example: look at the Power Meter story, which was discontinued a little while ago after de-motivating a number of startups and researchers. We were amongst them as this announcement made us definitely give up the commercialisation of the Energy Visible project, wrongfully?

I’m telling you, WoTers from all over the world, let’s show them what WoT researchers and WoT startups can achieve. After all, we, WoTers are years of research ahead of them, aren’t we? What’s your take on it? 😉