I have always wondered why it's necessary to beat Big Company X. I recall reading some writings by Eric Raymond when he remarked that competition is good for the consumer, and thus anyone who is trying to quell competition (Miccoughsofcough) is intrinsically hurting the general populace.
That said, the article, in my mind, is actually presenting ways to compete with Google, which is definitely A Good Thing. The title, however, could use a little work. I think it's important for us to avoid the mindset of, "This company is highly profitable, so I want to figure how to beat them and steal their revenue," and instead shift to, "This company is doing a great job, but I can provide a valuable service by improving upon such and such feature." In a market where there are hundreds of options and new ones appearing every day, the most important thing is to provide a new, valuable service. If you can do that, the users will come.
That said, the article, in my mind, is actually presenting ways to compete with Google, which is definitely A Good Thing. The title, however, could use a little work. I think it's important for us to avoid the mindset of, "This company is highly profitable, so I want to figure how to beat them and steal their revenue," and instead shift to, "This company is doing a great job, but I can provide a valuable service by improving upon such and such feature." In a market where there are hundreds of options and new ones appearing every day, the most important thing is to provide a new, valuable service. If you can do that, the users will come.