yugatech x infinix

Google bought and killed DodgeBall?

Dodgeball, a start-up mobile+social networking website, was silently bought by Google back in May 2005. Just last week, the two founders left Google disappointed:

Dodgeball

It’s no real secret that Google wasn’t supporting dodgeball the way we expected. The whole experience was incredibly frustrating for us – especially as we couldn’t convince them that dodgeball was worth engineering resources, leaving us to watch as other startups got to innovate in the mobile + social space. And while it was a tough decision (and really disappointing) to walk away from dodgeball, I’m actually looking forward to getting to work on other projects again.

This is a bit surprising and from the picture at Flickr, it doesn’t look good either. Last month, when I had a talk with one of the regional executives of Google, I specifically asked him about Dodgeball and how that model was supposed to be viable in the Philippine landscape. I didn’t get a clear answer. So, this is what’s going on in there. Too bad, IMO.

Reminds me. Will MeasureMap suffer the same fate?

React to this article:
Abe Olandres
Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.
  1. I think the smaller startups that got bought out got lost in the wake of Google’s more major acquisitions – namely Blogger, Urchin, Writely, Youtube. And now, with the $3 billion Doubleclick purchase, chances are, they will never be given the time of day.


  2. Many analysts and pundits believe that Google buys the smaller companies for the talent, not the product/service.


  3. @Migz: although that sounds nice, it’s a one-sided deal, IMO.


  4. yeah and if they do acquire for the sake of the talent, then i think Google should heed the talents more than how much they did those dodgeball guys….

    but, i suppose the Big G has its objectives, to which we are alas! obviously oblivious.


  5. sometimes they acquire to kill, like how AOL acquired ICQ in order to make way for IM. I remember when Aol sued Yahoo for copying IM. They lost coz they didn’t patent it. Yahoo still rules.


  6. I don’t think Google has made a competitive acquisition. As for the Dodgeballers, I guess Google thinks that the dream life at the Googleplex fits everyone.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Community Leaderboard

1 Abe Olandres
Abe Olandres 🥉 Rookie
33,225 3,286 comments
🏆 3
2 EasyE
EasyE 💠 Supremacy
21,060 1,763 comments
🏆 3
3 abuzalzal
abuzalzal 💠 Supremacy
17,440 1,176 comments
🏆 3
4 wew
wew 💠 Supremacy
15,360 1,410 comments
🏆 3
5 Justin
Justin 💎 Platinum
9,190 744 comments
🏆 2
6 Jay
Jay 💎 Platinum
8,450 830 comments
🏆 1
7 BrianB
BrianB 🏅 Newbie
5,980 595 comments
🏆 2
8 Aa
Aa 🥈 Silver
5,675 505 comments
🏆 2
9 Calvin
Calvin 🥈 Silver
5,180 497 comments
🏆 1
10 Benchmark33
Benchmark33 🥈 Silver
5,065 434 comments
🏆 1
yugatech x ASUS

Latest Review

Sleek HUAWEI MatePad 12 X tablet on a dark surface
HUAWEI MatePad 12 X (2026) Review
A person holding the new iPhone 17 Pro Max
iPhone 17 Pro Max Review
Gray Philips tablet with rear camera and flash on metallic finish
PHILIPS 10-inch Tablet (T7305L) Review
nubia Neo 3 GT vs. Infinix GT 30 Comparison Review
Nothing Phone (3a) Lite smartphone on a white background
Nothing Phone (3a) Lite Review

Latest Guide

What’s new with Samsung One UI 8
Smartphones Under PHP 10,000 | Q3 2025
Smartphones Under ₱6K (Php 6,000) | Q3 2025
Xiaomi 15T Pro vs. Xiaomi 14T Pro: What’s different?
List of Xiaomi devices for HyperOS 3 Update Timeline
Google bought and killed DodgeBall? » YugaTech | Philippines Tech News & Reviews
Yugatech Logo 2023
YugaTech is the largest and longest-running technology website in the Philippines. Orignally established in October 2002, the site was transformed in 2005 into a full-fledged technology news and reviews destination for Filipinos across the globe.

Tech Guides

YugaTech | Philippines Tech News & Reviews
© 2025. All Rights Reserved.