Google Comes Out of Beta Phase.

Publication: eWeek

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COPYRIGHT 2006 Ziff Davis Media Inc.

Ever since Google went public on Aug. 18, 2004, at $85 a share, it's been all sunshine. But as the company heads into a March 2 meeting with Wall Street analysts, it's becoming clear that the company is entering adolescence and facing some awkward moments ahead.

In other words, the first incarnation of Google could be defined as a corporate beta phase--a honeymoon, if you will.

What happens from here will be far more interesting. At the least, Google will face "much greater scrutiny" at its analyst shindig, says Citigroup analyst Mark Mahaney.

Up to this point, Google could experiment, rattle Microsoft with new projects, hire 50 to 60 people a week and essentially do no wrong.

Financially speaking, Google may have had the best beta phase ever.

For 2005, revenue was 92.5 percent...

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