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Where in the World Is Larry Page?

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Re: Where in the World Is Larry Page?

#121

Post by RIMR »

theDoug wrote: post #28
sidibe wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They offered their legal guy who is also one of the main leaders at Google and is probably the right person to talk about this but Congress refused. They want figureheads.

This is correct, they rejected anyone but top officials. https://www.law.com/2018/09/04/after-senate-intelligence-com... (Disclosure: I work at Google)

Hey, at least one of you in this thread is disclosing your employment with Google as you criticize the Government for demanding answers from your employer's top executives on matters of Foreign actors threatening our Democracy.

Re: Where in the World Is Larry Page?

#122

Post by jakobegger »

lisper wrote: post #116

One thing this article completely neglects to mention: Larry has vocal chord paralysis and so has difficulty speaking. https://www.wired.com/2013/05/larry-page-vocal-chords/ This could have something to do with why he's reluctant to do a lot of public speaking nowadays. [UPDATE] I was wrong: the article does mention this, I just missed it. I would delete this comment but I can't since it has been replied to.

This is mentioned multiple times in the article.

Re: Where in the World Is Larry Page?

#123

Post by skybrian »

dibstern wrote: post #80

I don’t understand people on here complaining about the Senate demanding that the leaders of a business answer for its actions. Sending your lawyer or an underling is (1) a show of disrespect, (2) it shows you’re not taking responsibility for your company, and (3) when the person answering the questions isn’t really in charge, they can’t answer properly and they can’t commit their companies to behaving differently. P…

Treating everyone except the CEO, including seasoned executives who are much more competent at answering trick legal questions, as "some underling" is itself petty political posturing.

Also, making commitments in the middle of a high-stress congressional hearing without taking time to think about it would be a terrible idea, which is why people don't do it.

Re: Where in the World Is Larry Page?

#124

Post by vasilipupkin »

RIMR wrote: post #109
l9k wrote: post #81

At this point, though, such a public-relations strategy feels dated. On balance, the celebrity of even the most caricatured CEO (Zuckerberg) appears to be a net positive for his company. I disagree totally with that point. The "superstar CEO" Zuckerberg is now ridiculed, hated, and negatively "meme-ed". He is now the face of censorship (for some) and a laissezfaire strategy threatening democracies (for others). Even…

The real loss is Senators no longer trusting Alphabet/Google after this snub. You really don't want to turn the government against you.

Please. All that stuff happens behind the scenes anyway

Re: Where in the World Is Larry Page?

#125

Post by wybiral »

puzzle wrote: post #118
wybiral wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Senate Intelligence Committee hearings are usually pretty facts-first unlike the other random hearings and sessions. I watch them on C-SPAN whenever they happen (which isn't that frequent). Edit: I strongly recommend watching these directly from C-SPAN rather than the summarized spin-version from random news companies. You might be surprised how little of their time is wasted on grandstanding. Yeah, some politici…

The SSCI might be less of a circus show than e.g. House committees, but you still hear preposterous things from them. Look at this interview: https://www.wired.com/story/mark-warner-senate-committee-hea... "I know Kent Walker. He’s a good guy. I respect him, but we had the lawyers back in November. This is a hearing that’s going to talk about solutions. I think it speaks volumes that Google doesn’t want to be part of…

You're citing a Wired interview with one member of the committee which isn't the same thing as a real committee hearing.

Re: Where in the World Is Larry Page?

#126

Post by dahdum »

kyrra wrote: post #106
dahdum wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sandberg is COO, on the board, and with Facebook for over 10 years. She's most definitely top level. Google offered Walker, who was just promoted to the position back in July, and has no operational control over the company.

Kent Walker has been at Google since 2006, has testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee before[0], and just knows a lot about Google. [0] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/11/01/fo...

Yes, but only promoted recently, and has more of an advisory role than a leadership one. Certainly a talented guy, but not comparable to Sandberg or Dorsey.

Re: Where in the World Is Larry Page?

#127

Post by joering2 »

394549 wrote: post #93
sidibe wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They offered their legal guy who is also one of the main leaders at Google and is probably the right person to talk about this but Congress refused. They want figureheads.

> They offered their legal guy who is also one of the main leaders at Google and is probably the right person to talk about this but Congress refused. They want figureheads. Why is this a problem? The CEO is the public face of the company. If Congress wants to question the company about serious issues, it shouldn't settle for a little-known subordinate who has much less authority or accountability for the decisions C…

That and also they learnt their lesson: first Facebook hearings were very frustrating when all they heard was: “I dont know answer to this questio, and I will ask Mr. Zickerberg [when I see him next time] and will let you know [when in reality I will never see you again because if FB is ever invited again we will send another top exec]”.

I for once appload congressmen/women for not falling for this sinple trick again.

Re: Where in the World Is Larry Page?

#128

Post by wybiral »

joshuamorton wrote: post #113
wybiral wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In this case it isn't a "circus". Watch these hearings, they aren't as sensational as you seem to think [1]. When it comes to information warfare and propaganda, you'll see them come to the same type of conclusion on multiple panels, which is that public awareness is a key component in any effective counter measure. Giving the leaders of these industries a mic to educate the public seems in all of our best interest.…

There kavanaugh hearing wasn't a circus either (ignoring the protestors), but it's still just a tool to generate soundbites. A closed door hearing is for fact finding, public ones are for proselytizing.

Or... It's done in public to keep the public informed as to what issues they're looking at and help us follow along because transparency is a useful component in democracy?

Just because a tiny amount of grandstanding happens doesn't make it all mock/show.

Full disclosure, you're a Googler.

Re: Where in the World Is Larry Page?

#130

Post by ballenf »

l9k wrote: post #81

At this point, though, such a public-relations strategy feels dated. On balance, the celebrity of even the most caricatured CEO (Zuckerberg) appears to be a net positive for his company. I disagree totally with that point. The "superstar CEO" Zuckerberg is now ridiculed, hated, and negatively "meme-ed". He is now the face of censorship (for some) and a laissezfaire strategy threatening democracies (for others). Even…

Bloomberg fail to acknowledge their clear bias: no news (Page absent) means fewer clicks. Regardless of whether the strategy is good or bad for Google, a high-profile Page generating lots of sightings and rumors and virtual stalking stories would be much better for the media.

I think you see this reality generating a lot of the pressure against the "lie low" strategy during scandals.

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