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The article says "He then suggested Google’s actions were “seemingly treasonous,” asking whether DeepMind or Google senior management had been “infiltrated” by

The article says "He then suggested Google’s actions were “seemingly treasonous,” asking whether DeepMind or Google senior management had been “infiltrated” by foreign intelligence agencies." To clarify, by stealing I also mean infiltrated by spies that are hired as employees who in turn provide information to foreign governments... And yes, of course this could happen to Facebook as well, but as of today Google/MSFT/Amazon/Autonomous vehicle companies/chip manufacturers are in a different league than Facebook as far as IP that is interesting from a military perspective goes.

nemothekid 7y ago
>To clarify, by stealing I also mean infiltrated by spies that are hired as employees who in turn provide information to foreign governments... Again, this isn't new. This has been happening for decades - just ask Cisco. Wether is treason is one thing, but I'm not arguing it doesn't happen. The radical statement Theil is making here, is that the _executives_ are compromised, and that they _actively_ sabotage the USG in getting Google tech while also sending that information abroad. This is an extraordinary claim that I'm less inclined to take seriously from someone who has been been both negligent in how his own company has handled the data of Americans in his own country and also stands to gain, via Palantir, the weakening of Google's relationship with the USG. >Google/MSFT/Amazon/Autonomous vehicle companies/chip manufacturers are in a different league than Facebook as far as IP I think what is effectively surveillance data on 90% of Americans is a far higher bar than Autonomous vehicle data that hardly works outside of Palo Alto.
- dawhizkid 7y ago
  Why is it easy to believe all tech companies are filled with foreign agents but hard to believe that any of them could rise to senior management? If anything, a desirable goal of getting hired as a foreign agent at one of these companies would be to rise to an executive rank
  - SpicyLemonZest 7y ago
    What Thiel is alleging isn't merely that some VP in Google is leaking secrets. He's suggesting Google leadership has been "thoroughly infiltrated", to the point that Thiel can see the infiltration based only on Google's public behavior.
  - nemothekid 7y ago
    Because Thiel is making the claim, that not only are they senior management, but they are both actively influencing the company from working with the USG as well as transporting, what maybe now Google's most important IP back to China. This would mean either large swaths of Google senior management are complicit or negligent, and that Google has no, or easily defeated safeguards around that IP. If Google had a track record of playing fast and loose with data, I'd more seriously consider his claim. In fact if it was coming from anyone else I'd consider the claim more seriously. Aside: I'm not downvoting you as you have a fair question - I don't know why you are negative.

nemothekid 7y ago

>To clarify, by stealing I also mean infiltrated by spies that are hired as employees who in turn provide information to foreign governments... Again, this isn't new. This has been happening for decades - just ask Cisco. Wether is treason is one thing, but I'm not arguing it doesn't happen. The radical statement Theil is making here, is that the _executives_ are compromised, and that they _actively_ sabotage the USG in getting Google tech while also sending that information abroad. This is an extraordinary claim that I'm less inclined to take seriously from someone who has been been both negligent in how his own company has handled the data of Americans in his own country and also stands to gain, via Palantir, the weakening of Google's relationship with the USG. >Google/MSFT/Amazon/Autonomous vehicle companies/chip manufacturers are in a different league than Facebook as far as IP I think what is effectively surveillance data on 90% of Americans is a far higher bar than Autonomous vehicle data that hardly works outside of Palo Alto.

dawhizkid 7y ago
Why is it easy to believe all tech companies are filled with foreign agents but hard to believe that any of them could rise to senior management? If anything, a desirable goal of getting hired as a foreign agent at one of these companies would be to rise to an executive rank
- SpicyLemonZest 7y ago
  What Thiel is alleging isn't merely that some VP in Google is leaking secrets. He's suggesting Google leadership has been "thoroughly infiltrated", to the point that Thiel can see the infiltration based only on Google's public behavior.
- nemothekid 7y ago
  Because Thiel is making the claim, that not only are they senior management, but they are both actively influencing the company from working with the USG as well as transporting, what maybe now Google's most important IP back to China. This would mean either large swaths of Google senior management are complicit or negligent, and that Google has no, or easily defeated safeguards around that IP. If Google had a track record of playing fast and loose with data, I'd more seriously consider his claim. In fact if it was coming from anyone else I'd consider the claim more seriously. Aside: I'm not downvoting you as you have a fair question - I don't know why you are negative.