Microsoft plays Chess, Google plays Go and I play Thud

Tech-Recipes.com - Microsoft Plays Chess. Google Plays Go.

An interesting quick read. Looking at the different strategies of Microsoft and Google. I think it has to be said from my perspective the both the Google brand and the Firefox/Mozilla brand have won themselves a soft spot from me. Offering me tools that make my life a little easier like desktop search and Google Maps, not to mention a great browser. It was no surprise that Google wanted to align itself with Firefox; it is the best competitor to IE.
This article highlights how Microsoft are currently playing catch up all the time, undermined by Google recruiting their best staff.
However Google builds itself a pedestal to "do no Evil" and I have to wonder if this will be their ultimate downfall. The classic saying of "The bigger they are the harder they fall". Everyone is used to Microsoft's lawyers being complete bastards, second only to the lawyers of large studios like Fox and Warner Bros. So when Microsoft do something that make you want to punch Bill Gates you resign yourself to how crap the world is and boot up XP anyway. Should Google be found to fall foul the fact that people *like* them could easily backfire. Engaging people at an emotional level is clearly great for business, but can it also be the ultimate Achilles heel too?