"The thing that people seem to miss about not just Google, but also our competitors, Yahoo, eBay and so forth, is that there's an awful lot of communities that have never been served by traditional media"

Eric Schmidt emphasizes how digital companies, including Google, Yahoo, and eBay, have managed to reach audiences that were previously overlooked or underserved by traditional forms of media. Historically, newspapers, television networks, and radio stations have had limited capacity to cater to the diverse interests and needs of every community. Their content tended toward the majority, focusing on topics and stories that appealed to the largest possible audience for advertising purposes. As a result, smaller or niche groups, whether defined by geography, culture, interests, or other factors, were frequently neglected.

With the advent of internet-based platforms, the dynamic changed. Companies like Google brought search, information, and advertising to anyone with an internet connection, regardless of location or background. Yahoo and eBay provided digital spaces for people to communicate, trade, and build networks around specialized interests. These platforms dissolved many barriers inherent to traditional media. A community with a rare hobby or a group with unique cultural practices, for example, could now find resources, connect with one another, and even grow in numbers.

Schmidt’s observation draws attention to an often-overlooked outcome of the digital age: inclusion and empowerment of the previously marginalized. Online forums, auction sites, and search engines give voice and visibility to the broad spectrum of human experience, allowing "invisible" communities to acquire knowledge, organize, and participate more fully in society and the global economy.

Companies like Google did not only disrupt the way information and commerce worked, but also democratized access to those systems. The impact reaches beyond profits and technological innovation; it fundamentally shifts cultural and social engagement. In contrast to the uniformity of traditional media, internet companies offer diversity and choice, reflecting the heterogeneous reality of the world and creating space for all sorts of communities to flourish.