> Getting bad commentary on geeky/nerdy HN is, almost by definition, bad communications/PR for a tech company. Except there's always going to be some critics,

> Getting bad commentary on geeky/nerdy HN is, almost by definition, bad communications/PR for a tech company. Except there's always going to be some critics, especially when you're talking about a corporation of Google's size. There's going to be people concerned about privacy, corporate overreach, the nature of some of its activities (such as defense contracts). You will also get various biased opinions, such as people who were hurt in some way by Google: rejected candidates or businesses that folded due to some Google service grabbing their market share. Hell, even if Google religiously avoided all the above, you will still get some astroturfing campaigns by its competitors! Negative commentary on a niche website like HN doesn't actually mean much in the grand scheme of PR. Check what the average person thinks about Google. Most likely you will find it quite positive. If you're looking for a company with serious image problems, compare to Facebook.