Google has just taken a step in Doctolib. At a time when digital tools are poised to provide platforms for phone books and medical appointments, the digital giants see Doctolib’s success as a lucrative market. The largest French startup is in hypergrowth and attracting investors, but nothing is really untouchable in the light of GAFAM.
Google, threat or not?
New features, similar to Doctolib’s, have entered the testing phase in the United States, the newspaper reports the echoes† Armed with its calendar and browser tools. Google could show the availability of health professionals directly via the search results. For this, the company is currently looking for partnerships with branches.
Updated on 03/25/2022 at 5:45 PM: Contacted by Google, some details just reached us. The US company says it will try to rely on third-party platforms to provide the availability information of healthcare professionals. The data would not be controlled by Google and scheduling appointments remains the responsibility of the platforms.
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The features being tested don’t yet predict surgery as specialized as Doctolib’s – giving you a dentist, physiotherapist, doctor, psychologist, etc. . But when Google gets the data, a central element, the tools arrive quickly.
Above all, the situation would be delicate if Google announced the arrival of a new in-house platform for making appointments and establishing the direct link between professionals and patients.
The opportunities of Doctolib
In the various Doctolib markets (the platform is also available in Germany and Italy), the demand is data protection was already central† If the company manages to gain the trust of patients (and get them to take the reflex to move through its platform), Google may have more trouble establishing itself here (if an implementation is effective).
Moreover, in the hyper-sensitive context of GAFAM in Europe, Doctolib would certainly have the means to take Google to court by finding an antitrust behavior to blame it on. Recently it has been OVHcloud nugget who announced a lawsuit, attacking Microsoft.
The situation of Doctolib, which has just raised 500 million euros to reach a valuation of 5.8 billion euros, allows it to invest massively. This year, up to 300 million euros will be injected and 700 new recruits are expected. The goal is to double wage bills by 2027 and remain committed across all areas of health, as well as geographically — with or without US market prospects.
