Google Employees Uncover Ongoing Work on Censored China Search

Post by kortilla » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 6:54 AM UTC

PavlovsCat wrote: post #131

thisisweirdok wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think anyone's using that excuse to justify working for Google, I think they're just saying that a small number of people quitting Google isn't nearly enough to stop them. Google employs at least 20k engineers. I'd be shocked if 100 quit over this news. Google could be murdering kittens to cool servers with their blood and you could probably find enough competent engineers to keep 10 Google's fully staffed. T…

An infinite number of people working for Google cannot stop me from not working for them. Which makes no difference to them and all the difference to me. Everybody dies anyway, nobody is remembered, or gets to keep anything; we can build what we want, end result is the same. The only brief moment of reality is our experience of the universe and the kind of life we lead, and if what you claim true for "the vast majori…

Post by kortilla » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 7:00 AM UTC

cma wrote: post #84

o10449366 wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here are two realistic facts: 1. Google would be absolutely fine if they do not expand into China. They would not collapse or lose their competitive edge if they refrained from doing so. You've worked at Google for over a decade so you should know this is true. 2. Google's censored search engine would absolutely facilitate Xi Jinping ability to censor the Chinese people and would set a dangerous precedent for other g…

> They would not collapse or lose their competitive edge if they refrained from doing so. Alphabet is a Deleware corporation, where executives that leave money on the table for moral reasons have to at least claim that it was their business judgment that the action would ultimately increase profits for shareholder value in the long term. There are many arguments those executives could make, such as that employees cou…

Post by kortilla » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 7:09 AM UTC

whoisjuan wrote: post #9

I find kind of hypocrite to reject the idea of a company working in a product that serves the Chinese market (which, btw, is ultra protectionist), while actively consuming goods that are manufactured in China. I'm not saying that people don't have the right to morally object something like this project, but it's kind of baffling that many are loudly voicing their concerns and demonizing any company that is attempting…

Post by alkibiades » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 7:11 AM UTC

pmoriarty wrote: post #18

whoisjuan wrote: post #9

I find kind of hypocrite to reject the idea of a company working in a product that serves the Chinese market (which, btw, is ultra protectionist), while actively consuming goods that are manufactured in China. I'm not saying that people don't have the right to morally object something like this project, but it's kind of baffling that many are loudly voicing their concerns and demonizing any company that is attempting…

The perfect is the enemy of the good. Do you accept money for your work? Odds are that some of that money was gained through less than 100% ethical means -- if not directly by the person/company you got the money from, then perhaps by the person/company they got it from, etc. At some point down the line, some of it might be called "dirty money" or maybe even "blood money". So what do you do? Do you stop accepting mon…

Post by echevil » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 7:15 AM UTC

pcwalton wrote: post #120

sytelus wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I admire you courage but have you considered the possibility that you might be wrong on this? Probability that China would change anything because of lack of Google products is about zero. In fact, not having Google benefits them even more because now there is no one reviewing of any censorship rules. If Google is there (1) they can minimize censorship as much as possible by pushing back frequently (2) people in Chin…

> My theory is that even if Chinese government was toppled, the replacement would still have same characteristics because that is the expectation that people have from their government. Taiwan is a counterexample.