Almost 24 years after Google’s founding, it's hard to imagine life without it. There are nearly 70,000 searches per second and we are dependent on Google for many things.

What would life be like if there was no Google? Perhaps it’s hard to imagine such a scenario. George Gilder’s book, Life After Google, talks about Google’s fall and literally, a life “after” Google.

Gilder explains that Google will fall because of its data centers and because everything is stored on a centralized platform. A centralized platform makes it easier for hackers to enter the system and access, and steal user data.

Google targets its users with advertisements that they are not interested in. In the attention economy, one might argue that users actually value their time and attention more than they value their money. Google then antagonizes its users by inundating them with ads. Gilder talks about information theory, the model on which Google was built, and Markov and Midas models, and explains in great detail how the internet functions. It’s a reminder that the internet is perhaps humankind’s greatest invention.

So what is life after Google then? Gilder talks about web3 and Bitcoin. He recollects a conversation he had with Satoshi, Bitcoin’s founder. It is an eye-opening account of the problem Bitcoin is trying to solve.

The way Gilder describes the war between Ethereum and Blockchain, Cryptocosm, and more, makes you realize that the projects in that space are truly breathtaking and revolutionary.

That doesn’t stop Gilder from talking about the limitations of Bitcoin. There will not be enough Bitcoin for everyone in the future and it might never replace fiat currency, only complement it. I agree with the author because the government wants control over currency for many reasons and a decentralized form of currency threatens that.

The book is complex and full of jargon. But as the book progresses, it becomes easier to understand.

What do I think about “life after Google”? I feel that a giant like Google isn’t going anywhere. I believe that as user needs change, Google too will find a way to adapt and will continue to stay relevant.