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Facebook: Friend Or Foe?

Expanding rapidly into new and rival territories, Facebook seems to have replaced Google as the business world's chief disruptor. "It is disrupting the businesses of established companies like Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc. and putting even more Internet firms on notice," writes The Wall Street Journal. Indeed, "The social network is a potential rival in electronic payments to eBay Inc.'s PayPal, while partnerships Facebook is cementing with smartphone makers set the stage for competition with Apple Inc."

Companies from the Valley to the Alley are therefore agonizing over whether or not to work with Facebook. "Facebook is both a great competitor and a benefactor here in Silicon Valley," says David Cowan, a venture capitalist at Bessemer Venture Partners. "Anyone who's trying to get the attention of the young Internet user now has to compete with the dominant position that Facebook has there. On the other hand, they have opened up a lot of opportunities."

Read the whole story at The Wall Street Journal »

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