Illustration: Radio
The giants of the technology world — Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft — are locked in a host of epic struggles. Amazon is battling with Apple for a share of the e-book market — a conflict that is emptying the coffers of already struggling publishing houses. Meanwhile, Apple and Microsoft have filed patent-infringement suits against mobile firms that run Google’s Android operating system. To best each other, the five companies also fight proxy wars over everything from GPS maps to book distribution, leaving a trail of defunct startups in their wake. In 2011, for instance, Google acquired 79 companies, only to shut down most of them and put their talent to work on other projects. Here’s a handy map for keeping track of all the strategic battles for people, ownership, and market share being waged across Silicon Valley today.
