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> Impact the future of humanity If Google disappeared off the face of the earth, every system, server, and employee, mitigations would be in place by the end o

by tmpz22 7y ago

> Impact the future of humanity If Google disappeared off the face of the earth, every system, server, and employee, mitigations would be in place by the end of the week - and a year later it would be like nothing ever changed. Let's not overvalue an adserver, free email, etc. These services are important but never life defining outside of the relatively small number of people they have made RICH.

vharuck 7y ago
This is like saying the President of the United States has no effect on the country because the person in office is replaced within the span of a day every four or eight years.
- Supermancho 7y ago
  > the President of the United States has no effect on the country Thats not remotely analogous as the point is about the effects of the magical disappearance of google on humanity. Your analogy wouldnt be how the disappearance of a PotUS would not cripple the US, as that contradicts your view...which I have difficulty grasping.
  - shadowgovt 7y ago
    The sudden disappearance of the POTUS is backstopped immediately by the existence of a Vice President. The sudden disappearance of Gmail would be significantly more catastrophic to communication online (though it would certainly be sorted out in a short amount of time as people sneaker-netted new communication addresses out and re-established the broken lines of communication).
  - vharuck 7y ago
    My point is to not judge an entity's power by what would happen if they didn't exist, but what happens because they exist. Google doesn't act the way it does because there's a universal law dictating a Google-like entity must exist and must act that way. Google is made of people, and all of its actions can be traced to one or more of the people in Google.
- johnmarcus 7y ago
  It is, and it would also be accurate. Many things Obama did have been undone in less than 3 years, and the same will happen after Trump leaves.
  - shadowgovt 7y ago
    Trump leaving won't resurrect the children who died in ICE custody anymore than Obama leaving resurrected the wedding party that got hit with a drone-launched smart munition, but this sub-thread feels like a digression from the topic.
shadowgovt 7y ago
I'm speaking more about the work moving forward. Search has fundamentally changed the way the world operates. How does China's government process look if backed by the talent of Google engineers for finding information?

by tmpz22 7y ago

vharuck 7y ago

This is like saying the President of the United States has no effect on the country because the person in office is replaced within the span of a day every four or eight years.

Supermancho 7y ago
> the President of the United States has no effect on the country Thats not remotely analogous as the point is about the effects of the magical disappearance of google on humanity. Your analogy wouldnt be how the disappearance of a PotUS would not cripple the US, as that contradicts your view...which I have difficulty grasping.
- shadowgovt 7y ago
  The sudden disappearance of the POTUS is backstopped immediately by the existence of a Vice President. The sudden disappearance of Gmail would be significantly more catastrophic to communication online (though it would certainly be sorted out in a short amount of time as people sneaker-netted new communication addresses out and re-established the broken lines of communication).
- vharuck 7y ago
  My point is to not judge an entity's power by what would happen if they didn't exist, but what happens because they exist. Google doesn't act the way it does because there's a universal law dictating a Google-like entity must exist and must act that way. Google is made of people, and all of its actions can be traced to one or more of the people in Google.
johnmarcus 7y ago
It is, and it would also be accurate. Many things Obama did have been undone in less than 3 years, and the same will happen after Trump leaves.
- shadowgovt 7y ago
  Trump leaving won't resurrect the children who died in ICE custody anymore than Obama leaving resurrected the wedding party that got hit with a drone-launched smart munition, but this sub-thread feels like a digression from the topic.

shadowgovt 7y ago

I'm speaking more about the work moving forward. Search has fundamentally changed the way the world operates. How does China's government process look if backed by the talent of Google engineers for finding information?