An important underlying philosophy of the A/E professional community is innovation and change. Guest Author AJ Driscoll, Marketing Analyst at PSMJ Resources, takes us through an exploratory and creative process for your consideration. This article first appeared in PSMJ "Pulse Weekly" 08/17/15.


Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have launched Alphabet, Inc. a new company that will essentially be the mothership for many other companies, the biggest being Google.

On their blog they say that G is for Google, and that this "new Google is a bit slimmed down with the companies that are pretty far afield of our main Internet products contained in Alphabet instead."

What this could mean is that they are looking to add more letters to their "Alphabet". They already have Y for YouTube, and X for X Lab, an incubator for companies such as Wing, their drone delivery service. "Far afield" also means other markets such as healthcare: Life Sciences (that works on the glucose-sensing contact lens), and Calico (focused on longevity). Alphabet, Inc.'s Page and Brin are also "stoked about growing our investment arms, Ventures and Capital, as part of this new structure."

Doesn't this make you wonder if they will be looking to fill an A for Architecture firm or an E for Engineering firm? And if they did acquire an A/E firm, do you think your firm or one of your competitors is a potential candidate? Would this give an A/E firm a competitive advantage because it would have a mothership company created by the founders of Google as well as access to additional capital?

This is all speculation, of course. Yet Google wants to expand out of the Internet products space. And so, potentially they could want to bring an A/E firm on board. Since their mission is to innovate and change the way things are done they would probably want to acquire a company focused on sustainability and eco-friendly infrastructure.

While the news has elicited mixed responses, it will be interesting to monitor what Alphabet, Inc. does in the next few years, and how they change business landscapes as they bring on or start up new companies.

Let us know if you think there is a possibility that Alphabet, Inc. will dive into the A/E industry. And it they do, do you think that it will change how projects will be done in the coming years?


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