Etsy announced it will use Google Cloud Platform to power its marketplace. Etsy CEO Josh Silverman has been making big moves to streamline the business since he took over from Chad Dickerson in May. Silverman chose not to turn to Amazon Web Services to host Etsy, possibly due to Amazon having launched a direct competitor to Etsy called Amazon Handmade. Etsy’s transition to the Google Cloud Platform is expected to be complete within the next two years.
Press release follows:
Etsy, Inc., the global marketplace for unique and creative goods, today announced it has selected Google Cloud as its public cloud provider. Google Cloud Platform will power Etsy’s global services, connecting millions of people around the world to buy and sell beautiful products. Etsy selected Google Cloud Platform because it brings to the table a shared engineering culture, superior infrastructure, and sophistication in areas such as machine learning and big data.
“Moving to Google Cloud Platform is a transformational change for Etsy. We believe that it positions us well for growth by allowing us to focus on strategic initiatives, enhance site performance, and improve engineering efficiency. Google’s infrastructure also enables us to better prioritize technologies like machine learning to personalize the user experience on Etsy,” said Mike Fisher, Etsy’s Chief Technology Officer. “With Google Cloud Platform we can focus on what matters most — continuing to build Etsy into the best marketplace for our buyers and sellers.”
The migration to Google Cloud comes as Etsy sharpens its focus on growing the core marketplace, prioritizing the buyer and seller experience and increasing the pace of launching new features. Etsy expects that the transition to the cloud will support its execution of its business strategy and will give users an overall better experience worldwide.
“We are thrilled to be working closely with Etsy in this new chapter of their innovation story,” said PH (Paul-Henri) Ferrand, President, Global Customer Operations, Google Cloud. “Our engineering teams are collaborating to not just transition Etsy’s infrastructure to Google Cloud, but help them take advantage of the world-class machine learning and analytics our open, secure platform offers.”
Google and Etsy share a strong commitment to environmental sustainability. Both have committed to reaching 100% renewable energy for all of their operations. Additionally, the ability to scale up and down based on demand will significantly improve Etsy’s energy utilization. Etsy expects the transition will also result in increased engineering efficiency, by shifting focus from the maintenance of on-premise systems to product engineering work that is strategic, creating a more seamless shopping experience for buyers and sellers.
Etsy’s transition to the Google Cloud Platform is expected to be complete within the next two years.
SOURCE: Etsy Press Release
My first thought is Why would a company tie itself so closely to Google? To save more money I guess, lower prices to consumers I guess. Hence, Google Cloud Platform.
Oops, second thought: We all know Exsy has a problem with programmers, why not fire & replace them? I guess to put the programming “under Google’s direction”, or use Google’s own programming. Google DOES work. Maybe the jobs get outsourced to Google. Exsy employees get pink slips…..
Third: What about the commitment and wonderful experience of working for a sustainable, benefit loaded, team oriented company like Exsy? HUH? WHAT? Did they actually think it was FOR REAL? FOREVER?
“Etsy selected Google Cloud Platform because it brings to the table a shared engineering culture, superior infrastructure, and sophistication in areas such as machine learning and big data.”
I don’t doubt a bit, that Google Cloud Platform is better than what Exsy Mgmt has been able to get out of their workers. Neither they, NOR Ebay do programming, or operate very well. So I guess Exsy has admitted that it can’t fix their own their mess. From an OPERATIONAL perspective, it will be good for how some of the things finally WORK.
But it’s really just an attempt at a White Christmas for Wall Street. (“Snow” them). A MASTERY of corporate double and triple speak, with about 70%-80% completely irrelevant DRIVEL. I’ve ridiculed a lot of Exsy, and Ebay corporate speak, but this is the very BEST OF 2017. Give it the Golden Hanky award, for the best Drivel of the year.
Most importantly, I believe this is just what is NOT needed, in this probably POST Neutrality Internet World. (More control by Google). I can even see some policies on the horizon, that will lead down a new high speed HOV lane, right to Google. We already know that road will also be pay to play. This is not good in the long run for Exsy sellers, or consumers in general, to put more parts of the Internet under Google’s umbrella.
We HAVE to have more competition & choices. And Exsy or Ebay “sellers”, don’t actually need a search that just WORKS! Unless you define that as NOT RIGGED! It’s POINTLESS! And it is NOT PART OF Google’s Cloud Platform duty. Search fairness is part of a FAIR treatment of sellers, and adherence to a FAIR TOS, and is WHOLLY under Exsy Mgmt’s domain. It must be solved by them. This operational switch to Google will do small, TRUE Handmade sellers no real good at all.
Exsy will be no better off until the true inequities of search, and the ABSURD treatment of FAKE HANDMADE, both foreign and domestic, RESELLING, and CHEAP IMPORTS are dealt with fairly.