I think we are all naturally a bit defensive when the fear of a great competitor leaping out from the shadows is always there - especially for travel startups where something like the Google-ITA deal that has been in the works for so long. The message I got from his article actually somewhat agrees with the question you posed: there can be sufficient room for both of them in the space and as a community we should resist being alarmist about others encroaching on what we do; in fact it can be a really good thing.