> Why should Google's product roadmap be subject to a consensus of their competitors?
...because they're attempting to shape standards around their product roadmap, in committees in which their competitors also participate?
You can tell your competitors to go fuck themselves and do whatever you want with your roadmap, or you can make standards promulgation and compliance a part of your roadmap, but you don't get to have your cake and eat it too.
These working groups are working groups second, and political battlegrounds first. I think the pace of the WHATWG has proven the futility of such working groups.
We see this time and time again, with various technologies. It's never worked well. And if Apple were doing this, 3/4 of this website would be cheering them on even though Apple's been pretty bad about this sort of thing historically.
...because they're attempting to shape standards around their product roadmap, in committees in which their competitors also participate?
You can tell your competitors to go fuck themselves and do whatever you want with your roadmap, or you can make standards promulgation and compliance a part of your roadmap, but you don't get to have your cake and eat it too.