In McKinsey We Trust.. oh oh

eBay is very very worried about Google and is trying to work with either Yahoo or MSN (or both) to try and blunt Google, reports The Wall Street Journal. It is a big article about the age old saying: enemy of my enemy is a friend. The really juicy bit is about the consulting giant McKinsey & Co’s conclusions about Google.

Few at eBay initially saw reason to fear Google, say people at the company, in part because of a 2003 study it commissioned from McKinsey & Co. McKinsey concluded that Google wouldn’t use its search capabilities to break into e-commerce. That made Google a manageable threat, say people familiar with the study. EBay’s dependence on Google increased as it shifted ad dollars to online ads from traditional media throughout 2004.

I think McKinsey reports should come with a statutory warning. Why? These are the same people who told AT&T back in the day, that mobile phones will be a niche market. And if that was not enough, I have two words for you: Jeffrey Skilling. (Of course, there is The Witch Doctors a fascinating book if there is about McKinsey blunders.)

So what are your thoughts on eBay & New Friends versus Google. It could be part of a big strategic report