A decade and a half of instability: The history of Google messaging apps | Ars Technica:

I have tried nearly every stage of this, hoping to see Google bring back something like the “golden age” of federated, open-standards communication of it’s original Google Talk (RIP). I don’t think Google is capable of that thinking anymore, and it poisons every interaction I have with their products.

The Google Talk saga is a case in point. It feels like it's for a company that doesn't exist today. When Google Talk launched, there was an assumption that Google would dominate messaging, because back then, Google was seen as a disrupter and a company that put effort behind the new markets it entered. Today, no one assumes Google will be successful in a new market. And it's because of what we outlined here, a list of so many low-effort projects.