Google vs Apple: Who’s winning the tech industry land grab?

In the news, people are well aware of the iOS vs Android war. Both operating systems and the companies behind them wage open battle in their quests for mobile domination. Otherwise, there are no arenas where the two tech giants go head to head… at least openly.

Behind the scenes, a more heated battle than the public one wages every day. It’s not the technology that drives these companies but rather the people behind their technologies. As a result, getting the best people available is always at the top of the priority list.

Apple, Google, and other Silicon Valley giants have been actively recruiting the best people in the technology world. They do what it takes to attract and often “steal” the brightest minds and most imaginative innovators. Who’s winning the battle?

Often, the best way to see is to look at acquisitions. There is almost always an element of talent-buying behind every purchase. Coming up with the systems and programming behind technologies is easy. Getting the people who had the original concept and fleshed it out to a working product is a bigger motivator.

In short, it’s a land grab.

This infographic by GPlus breaks down the current war tallies as we know them publicly. Behind the scenes, the war is probably much bloodier than this.

Click to enlarge.