Google and Amazon bickering steps up a level

When two heavyweights from different subsectors of the tech world start directly competing there will be arguments and temper tantrums, but Google and Amazon have escalated the feud.

Google has been complaining about how Amazon displays YouTube on the Echo Show product and has now taken the step to restrict users access to the video channel. YouTube will be removed from the Echo Show immediately, and on January 1 2018, the same will be done for Amazon Fire TV.

“We’ve been trying to reach agreement with Amazon to give consumers access to each other’s products and services,” Google said in a statement. “But Amazon doesn’t carry Google products like Chromecast and Google Home, doesn’t make Prime Video available for Google Cast users, and last month stopped selling some of Nest’s latest products.”

Google is pinning the blame on Amazon, and of course, Amazon has released a statement which points the finger the other direction.

“Echo Show and Fire TV now display a standard web view of YouTube.com and point customers directly to YouTube’s existing website,” Amazon has said. “Google is setting a disappointing precedent by selectively blocking customer access to an open website. We hope to resolve this with Google as soon as possible.”

Amazon has also decided to stop selling the Nest E Thermostat, Nest’s Camera IQ, and the Nest Secure alarm system through its sites.

While this is an unfortunate situation for the consumer, there is unlikely to be a winner between the two heavyweights in this skirmish. Google needs the world’s largest eCommerce platform to sell its products, and the absence of the world’s most popular streaming site is not going to make Amazon video products the most attractive on the market.

The pair can shout and point at each other, but let’s be completely honest, this is a battle of egos. These are two companies who usually have the upper hand on the negotiating table, and probably don’t like the fact they have found their equal this time around. There won’t be a winner here, it’s damage limitation from both sides and, quite frankly, very immature.