Has Google lost its mojo?

Yes, according to this column by Computerworld's Preston Galla. Galla says that Google has gone from "innovative upstart to fat and happy" in record time, but that it's now dealing with a slew of over-the-hill growing pains. The upshot? He recommends IT execs think long and hard before trusting Google to handle key services, like e-mail and cloud-based collaboration.

As evidence, Galla cites the recent brouhaha over Google's newly expensive company daycare program, and a blog post by Sergey Solyanik. (Solyanik has ping-ponged between Microsoft and Google, starting as development manager for Windows Home Server at Microsoft, then going to Google, and then quickly returning to Microsoft.) Solyanik's gripe is that Google is too focused on "coolness" and not on service features and stability. Galla also cites Google's stock price, which has fallen about 34% since November 2007, compared with a 16% to 17% drop in the market overall. He says that all this taken together is good news for Microsoft, which now has a stronger hand to play.

Galla's strongest point is Solynanik's critique. IT execs need services that aren't just "cool" but work. Google's recent problems with Gmail are a case in point. Just when it looked like IT was beginning to take Google Apps seriously, Google dropped the ball.

But perhaps it's not that Google has lost its mojo, but that it still hasn't fully found it yet. The recent outages, daycare skirmishes, employee disenchantments, etc. sound more like fast-growth missteps than signs that Google is on its way down. The key now is how Google handles itself going forward, and its newfound customer service voice and the release of the Android SDK are encouraging signs. Microsoft seems more questionable. Not only is it weak in Google's realm of the Internet, with its third-place search technology, failed Yahoo merger, and confusing online services, but it's also losing traction in its traditional desktop stronghold, with its less-than-impressive Vista rollout. Maybe new pitchman Jerry Seinfeld can help there. But when it comes to lost mojo, Microsoft comes to mind much more readily than Google.