Google Inc. (GOOGL 2.70%) (GOOG 2.30%) competitor DuckDuckGo is beginning to look like a potential IPO candidate, Fool contributor Tim Beyers says in the following video.
For those that don't know DuckDuckGo is an alternative search engine built on the premise that user data needn't be tracked in order to deliver comprehensive, relevant search results quickly. Millions identify with the pitch. According to its website, DuckDuckGo handles triple the number of direct queries today as it did a year ago -- more than 5 million daily. Google processes far more, of course, and Bing is also a significant competitor thanks to Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) backing. That DuckDuckGo is growing rapidly in the shadow of deep-pocketed rivals speaks to its advantages.
And while we aren't privy to financial data for privately held DuckDuckGo, it's fair to presume revenue is also soaring. Why? DuckDuckGo sells sponsored links to appear alongside search data. Rising traffic should also produce rising revenue, which, in turn, should help grow the underlying platform. Exactly the sort of virtuous cycle investors should want to see from an IPO candidate.
Yet the story doesn't end there. DuckDuckGo is also opening its platform to new code and human-supplied answers to queries via a program called DuckDuckHack. The company's passionate and fast-growing community of users can help to extend the platform in ways the DuckDuckGo team -- or, for that matter, Google or Microsoft -- have yet to imagine.
Now it's your turn to weigh in. Do you use DuckDuckGo? If so, do you believe it possesses a defensible advantage over Google? Please watch the video to get the full story and then leave a comment to let us know your take, including whether you would buy, sell, or hold Google stock at current prices.
