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Agree in spirit, but in the case of Google/Alphabet there is somewhere for the buck to stop: AFAIK Larry + Sergei (+ maybe Eric?) control more than half of the

by pliny 8y ago

Agree in spirit, but in the case of Google/Alphabet there is somewhere for the buck to stop: AFAIK Larry + Sergei (+ maybe Eric?) control more than half of the equity in terms of voting power, so if they want too promote their principles at the expense of revenue growth they can do that regardless of the feelings of other shareholders. This is more speculative, but I think public markets don't really react adversely to visionary CEOs / founders putting principles over growth, so it's not like they would make all their paid-in-equity engineers take a pay cut for their principles either.

braythwayt 8y ago
All participants are equally complicit, but some are more equally complicit than others :-) p.s. I know the market seems to like Apple’s perspective on privacy, but unless we can examine an altrnate universe where iPhones aren’t selling like hotcakes, it’s tough to know whether the market values the eithics involved, or just thinks it’s a fine strategy. If the latter, the market doesnkt really value their values, but rther their ability to make money. Which is mot the same thing.
- snaky 8y ago
  We can examine an alternate universe where iPhones aren’t selling like hotcakes actually. > With only seven million iPhones sold in China during the second quarter of 2018, Apple's market share in the country dropped by 12.5 percent year on year to 6.7 percent, according to a report by the International Data Corporation (IDC) Apple have some very particular values in China though, storing iCloud data and encryption keys on state-owned servers. But the trend to decline started a long before that recent Apple decision.
  - mrguyorama 8y ago
    Hasn't Apple basically abandoned the low price phone market in the same period though?
    - snaky 8y ago
      Maybe. > If you head over to Xiaomi China’s official store (via XDA-Developers) you’ll see three new bundles unsubtly named the XS, XS Max, and XR sets. Included in each bundle is a new Xiaomi phone — either the Mi Mix 2S, Mi 8, or Mi 8 SE, respectively — a Xiaomi Notebook, a Mi Band 3, and a Bluetooth earpiece/earphones, all for the same price as their namesake iPhones.
- ntsplnkv2 8y ago
  Apple could already make tons of money off of user data right now. Do you not think people have suggested this within Apple? It'd be ridiculous to assume so. They are leaving a ton of money on the table taking their privacy stance right now.
- ummonk 8y ago
  Well as a consumer, I value their perspective on privacy, and am willing to throw money at them to protect it. Sadly, I don't think most other consumers factor in privacy to that extent.

by pliny 8y ago

braythwayt 8y ago

All participants are equally complicit, but some are more equally complicit than others :-) p.s. I know the market seems to like Apple’s perspective on privacy, but unless we can examine an altrnate universe where iPhones aren’t selling like hotcakes, it’s tough to know whether the market values the eithics involved, or just thinks it’s a fine strategy. If the latter, the market doesnkt really value their values, but rther their ability to make money. Which is mot the same thing.

snaky 8y ago
We can examine an alternate universe where iPhones aren’t selling like hotcakes actually. > With only seven million iPhones sold in China during the second quarter of 2018, Apple's market share in the country dropped by 12.5 percent year on year to 6.7 percent, according to a report by the International Data Corporation (IDC) Apple have some very particular values in China though, storing iCloud data and encryption keys on state-owned servers. But the trend to decline started a long before that recent Apple decision.
- mrguyorama 8y ago
  Hasn't Apple basically abandoned the low price phone market in the same period though?
  - snaky 8y ago
    Maybe. > If you head over to Xiaomi China’s official store (via XDA-Developers) you’ll see three new bundles unsubtly named the XS, XS Max, and XR sets. Included in each bundle is a new Xiaomi phone — either the Mi Mix 2S, Mi 8, or Mi 8 SE, respectively — a Xiaomi Notebook, a Mi Band 3, and a Bluetooth earpiece/earphones, all for the same price as their namesake iPhones.
ntsplnkv2 8y ago
Apple could already make tons of money off of user data right now. Do you not think people have suggested this within Apple? It'd be ridiculous to assume so. They are leaving a ton of money on the table taking their privacy stance right now.
ummonk 8y ago
Well as a consumer, I value their perspective on privacy, and am willing to throw money at them to protect it. Sadly, I don't think most other consumers factor in privacy to that extent.