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The proof? Come on, man, I admire Google as much as the next developer does... Maps, Gmail, these things were simply stunning products when they released (and s

The proof? Come on, man, I admire Google as much as the next developer does... Maps, Gmail, these things were simply stunning products when they released (and still are). But they are a major American corporation. They employ a number of people in high-ranking positions who have very large compensation packages that are tied to profits and stock price. I'd wager that nearly every working American can tell you stories about abuses of American corporations... dozens of stories... And most could probably tell you some that they themselves have witnessed as an employee. The stock-price-driven mentality in management at large American publicly traded companies puts emphasis entirely on short term, quarter-by-quarter profits. I don't mind being slightly inflammatory in saying that anybody with a little _wisdom_ treats all these corporations with suspicion. And you'd be a fool not to. These are not people: lives will not be ruined by a presumption of guilty-until-proven-innocent. Giving these companies the freedom we give people to operate freely until proven guilty is what results in things like Enron and real lives being shattered. Google is not a bunch of hippie kashi-eating hackers anymore. Not for a long, long time. It's a bunch of corporatist managers who love money just like every other company. I'm a software developer and a startup founder. I have the same dreams many here do, the same I'm sure Sergey and Larry Page did. But come on. Don't be so foolish. Google is skilled at marketing and branding, but you're surely smart--nearly all here are. Don't blur the line between admiration and worship.

ErrantX 17y ago
> don't mind being slightly inflammatory in saying that anybody with a little _wisdom_ treats all these corporations with suspicion. And you'd be a fool not to. Im 100% in agreement with that statement. But there is a vast difference between being careful/suspicious/analytical and saying "they probably sell my data". For the latter I want to see proof - otherwise I feel set against the idea because it smacks of anti-corporation fear.
- stcredzero 17y ago
  I worked as a consultant maintaining commodities trading software for a multinational petroleum corp. They make money because they do business everywhere and because of that, they have intimate local information about everywhere. A lot of that information, they cannot use for legal reasons. But there is a remainder that they can use legally to turn a profit. And in a company as big as that, some young turk is going to figure it out and make a name for himself. It's a certainty that this will also happen with Google. A lot of information passes through them. A lot of it can't be exploited for legal reasons. Some young turk there is probably figuring out a way that it can be legally exploited, and we on he outside aren't necessarily going to be happy about it.

ErrantX 17y ago

> don't mind being slightly inflammatory in saying that anybody with a little _wisdom_ treats all these corporations with suspicion. And you'd be a fool not to. Im 100% in agreement with that statement. But there is a vast difference between being careful/suspicious/analytical and saying "they probably sell my data". For the latter I want to see proof - otherwise I feel set against the idea because it smacks of anti-corporation fear.

stcredzero 17y ago
I worked as a consultant maintaining commodities trading software for a multinational petroleum corp. They make money because they do business everywhere and because of that, they have intimate local information about everywhere. A lot of that information, they cannot use for legal reasons. But there is a remainder that they can use legally to turn a profit. And in a company as big as that, some young turk is going to figure it out and make a name for himself. It's a certainty that this will also happen with Google. A lot of information passes through them. A lot of it can't be exploited for legal reasons. Some young turk there is probably figuring out a way that it can be legally exploited, and we on he outside aren't necessarily going to be happy about it.