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Google notes... > “But we’re also concerned with the irregular way this investigation is proceeding, including unusual arrangements with advisers who work with

by mfer 7y ago

Google notes... > “But we’re also concerned with the irregular way this investigation is proceeding, including unusual arrangements with advisers who work with our competitors and vocal complainants." There are two interesting things, to me, about this. First, as Google has expanded into many more things it's hard to find consulting technologists who don't complete with Google in some manner. For example, Google has a web site builder for businesses. It could be argued any web developer is a competitor. Second, the language use of "irregular" and "unusual" is interesting. I wonder what is unusual here. The specifics. Or, is this language meant to make us feel or think something. The US government regularly uses contractors and consultants. Is that unusual in investigations like this? How unusual are investigations like this?

asdfasgasdgasdg 7y ago
> First, as Google has expanded into many more things it's hard to find consulting technologists who don't complete with Google in some manner. You could say that, but no such stretching is needed in this case. News Corp has been a vocal opponent of Google for some time. It's not a case of a lawyer working on something that happened to be in a business that Google competes in.
- mfer 7y ago
  > It's not a case of a lawyer working on something that happened to be in a business that Google competes in. In the Forbes link Google talks about competitors. The legal folks from News Corp would be in a different category to that. I appreciate the desire and arguably the need to have different people at the news organizations and people pushing for causes (e.g., going after Google for potential abuses or issues). I do with new organizations were more interested in reporting the news and not making the news, if that makes sense.
  - asdfasgasdgasdg 7y ago
    I guess there are two different sorts of advisers they are talking about. "Vocal complainants" seems to refer to the former News Corp lawyer who is advising the case. Advisers who work with competitors is presumably referring to technical consulting firms working on the case. It's not clear which competitors they work for, but presumably Google is not objecting to a consulting firm that also works with, say, Costco, on the theory that Costco is a competitor in the electronics sales market. That would be pretty thin, and Google would have no reason to object. Presumably Google is referring to a consulting firm that works heavily with e.g. Microsoft or Oracle.

by mfer 7y ago

asdfasgasdgasdg 7y ago

> First, as Google has expanded into many more things it's hard to find consulting technologists who don't complete with Google in some manner. You could say that, but no such stretching is needed in this case. News Corp has been a vocal opponent of Google for some time. It's not a case of a lawyer working on something that happened to be in a business that Google competes in.

mfer 7y ago
> It's not a case of a lawyer working on something that happened to be in a business that Google competes in. In the Forbes link Google talks about competitors. The legal folks from News Corp would be in a different category to that. I appreciate the desire and arguably the need to have different people at the news organizations and people pushing for causes (e.g., going after Google for potential abuses or issues). I do with new organizations were more interested in reporting the news and not making the news, if that makes sense.
- asdfasgasdgasdg 7y ago
  I guess there are two different sorts of advisers they are talking about. "Vocal complainants" seems to refer to the former News Corp lawyer who is advising the case. Advisers who work with competitors is presumably referring to technical consulting firms working on the case. It's not clear which competitors they work for, but presumably Google is not objecting to a consulting firm that also works with, say, Costco, on the theory that Costco is a competitor in the electronics sales market. That would be pretty thin, and Google would have no reason to object. Presumably Google is referring to a consulting firm that works heavily with e.g. Microsoft or Oracle.