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Was Kiko Killed By Google? 
By: Doug Caverly 2006-08-22 Kiko died, and it may have been Google's fault. The Kiko in question is not, thankfully, the pregnant Japanese princess, but instead a "great, dead simple calendar you can use right in your web browser." Note the word choice in that description - rather ironic now that the site has gone under.
Kiko waved the white flag a few days ago, and put itself up for auction on eBay. With only one bid, the price rests at $49,999.99 right now (although that may be a fake offer - the user has no feedback). Shipping for the "used" website is free. But what caused Kiko to cave? It may have been Google. "It only takes Google to experiment in a particular online area to kill off fledgling businesses," wrote Richard Wray in an article for the Guardian. "That appears to be what happened to Kiko. Google launched a test version of its Google Calendar application in April, and that seems to have rung the death knell for Kiko." Kiko's founders gave a typical line about "pursuing other interests," but the words of "Paul Graham, whose Y Combinator investment vehicle bankrolled the start-up of Kiko," backed Wray's theory. "What nailed Kiko was Google Calendar." Graham wrote on his blog. "Once that came out, not only did Kiko's growth stop, but a lot of existing users defected." Wray described Kiko as the first business "that has been publicly pushed overboard by Google," but implies that more may follow. This seems like a reasonable assumption as Google continues to stick its toes into various waters. In the meantime, Kiko still has a chance of being resurrected if someone buys the package of "website, software, and domain." The auction is scheduled to end on August 26. Tag: Kiko, Google Add to  Del.icio.us |  Digg |  Yahoo! My Web |  Furl
Have a bookmark! - 
About the Author: Doug is a staff writer for SearchNewz, WebProNews, InternetFinancialNews, and SecurityProNews. |
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