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Research for the military isn't the issue here, it's Google's changing agenda. If the DoD or Raytheon or Weapons Systems Startup LLC hired someone to develop a

Research for the military isn't the issue here, it's Google's changing agenda. If the DoD or Raytheon or Weapons Systems Startup LLC hired someone to develop a better system for analyzing drone images, I don't believe that person would be complaining that their work was being used for war -- that's exactly what they signed up for. The problem here is that Google sold their engineers on "Don't Be Evil" and libertarianism and "we're a sweet little tech company that people like" and is now delivering military contracts.

kbenson 9y ago
Engineers have a right to complain, and to attempt to steer the company, and to leave if they don't like where it's going. I'm more referencing the parent comment that calls Google out as shameful. Not all military work is shameful, and some that is viewed one way initially might be viewed otherwise over time as future uses are found for the fruits of that labor. > The problem here is that Google sold their engineers on "Don't Be Evil" and libertarianism and "we're a sweet little tech company that people like" and is now delivering military contracts. And they specifically dropped that when they changed to Alphabet, so the writing was on the wall for people to see. That said, I still think the immediate jump to military work == shameful is far too broad a brush to paint with. What if a contract was for better field medical kits? That's still going to help any military engagement for one side, but does keeping one side's soldiers in better health so they can kill more the other side make it okay? What about future public uses of the technology? The world isn't that simple, and people acting like it is just so they have an easy target for their anger doesn't really help anything other than to make that person feel a little better about themselves for a little while.
- rifung 9y ago
  > And they specifically dropped that when they changed to Alphabet, so the writing was on the wall for people to see Still there actually. https://abc.xyz/investor/other/google-code-of-conduct.html https://abc.xyz/investor/other/google-code-of-conduct.html
rifung 9y ago
> The problem here is that Google sold their engineers on "Don't Be Evil" and libertarianism and "we're a sweet little tech company that people like" and is now delivering military contracts. I'm not sure I ever felt Google was libertarian but maybe I just don't understand what that means? Your comment makes me think this might be a strange viewpoint, but I don't consider "don't be evil" and military contracts to be mutually exclusive. I consider the military to be necessary. Perhaps one day we can live in a world where it won't be, but we are very far from that now, and given we can't even stop people within our own country from killing one another, I don't believe we will be able to stop other countries from invading us if they have nothing to deter them. Do you consider the people who join the military to also be evil?

kbenson 9y ago

Engineers have a right to complain, and to attempt to steer the company, and to leave if they don't like where it's going. I'm more referencing the parent comment that calls Google out as shameful. Not all military work is shameful, and some that is viewed one way initially might be viewed otherwise over time as future uses are found for the fruits of that labor. > The problem here is that Google sold their engineers on "Don't Be Evil" and libertarianism and "we're a sweet little tech company that people like" and is now delivering military contracts. And they specifically dropped that when they changed to Alphabet, so the writing was on the wall for people to see. That said, I still think the immediate jump to military work == shameful is far too broad a brush to paint with. What if a contract was for better field medical kits? That's still going to help any military engagement for one side, but does keeping one side's soldiers in better health so they can kill more the other side make it okay? What about future public uses of the technology? The world isn't that simple, and people acting like it is just so they have an easy target for their anger doesn't really help anything other than to make that person feel a little better about themselves for a little while.

rifung 9y ago
> And they specifically dropped that when they changed to Alphabet, so the writing was on the wall for people to see Still there actually. https://abc.xyz/investor/other/google-code-of-conduct.html https://abc.xyz/investor/other/google-code-of-conduct.html

rifung 9y ago

> The problem here is that Google sold their engineers on "Don't Be Evil" and libertarianism and "we're a sweet little tech company that people like" and is now delivering military contracts. I'm not sure I ever felt Google was libertarian but maybe I just don't understand what that means? Your comment makes me think this might be a strange viewpoint, but I don't consider "don't be evil" and military contracts to be mutually exclusive. I consider the military to be necessary. Perhaps one day we can live in a world where it won't be, but we are very far from that now, and given we can't even stop people within our own country from killing one another, I don't believe we will be able to stop other countries from invading us if they have nothing to deter them. Do you consider the people who join the military to also be evil?