Google supposedly claimed to have no moat, but they actually have

- all the users

- all the apps (Google, GMail, YouTube, Docs, Maps...)

- all the books (Google Books)

- all the video (YouTube)

- all the web pages

- custom hardware

It's honestly weird they aren't doing better. Agree that the models are great and the UX is bad all around.

Hey now, let's not forget it. They also have:

- all the lobbyists - all the money

Google has been, for at least a decade, making pretty terrible choices that squander developer and power-user goodwill (see: any thread where they announce a new product and one of the top comments will link to killedbygoogle). When you've burnt bridges with your biggest evangelists, adoption by normies slows, and your products appear to stagnate.

Unfortunately, they've been insulated from the consequences of their bad decisions by the fact the money printer (ads) keeps their company afloat and mollifies shareholders. The moment that dries up, they're in trouble.