It's really important to recognize the accident of the Internet. A bunch of geeks, for a purpose that had nothing to do with Google or Microsoft, decided to make it so that different platforms could communicate. They wanted to find a neutral platform. They couldn't control it; it would develop as users wanted it to.
Little did they know, but they had created the perfect environment for innovation. Because innovators know that if they develop the next great widget, then they can deliver it and they don't have to get permission.