Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Google Internal Comics

goomics.net

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 227 posts

Re: Google Internal Comics

#61

Post by 29athrowaway »

travoc wrote: post #54
29athrowaway wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If Google didn't exist, then Baidu, Tencent or Alibaba would be mining your data instead. Is that what you would prefer?

I’d prefer that they all take their place in history next to the cigarette and trans fat corporations. Thanks for asking.

I would rather compare them with Bonzi Buddy, but OK.

Using Google Maps won't give you lung cancer (unless you are using it to find smoke shops that is). It erodes your privacy, sure, but it won't deteriorate your health...

Re: Google Internal Comics

#62

Post by hiptobecubic »

triactual wrote: post #48
refulgentis wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't have as thick a skin as you, and I get really dispirited when this sort of criticism is adopted as a personality trait / cause internally. It's barely criticism rather than hyperbolic rancor, and while every good community needs people pointing out the bad, as you note, people know they're working at a big company and should value how we avoid things like JEDI, etc. thanks to leadership.

I tend to agree. There are enough problem alerters without solutions in most organizations that it’s not necessary to amplify one’s lack of solutions or influence with comics.

Alerting is meaningless if it doesn't motivate people enough to organize. You're way underestimating the influence of media like this.

Re: Google Internal Comics

#63

Post by hiptobecubic »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #42
Xorlev wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of Google is not dedicated towards building Ads, surfaces where ads are displayed, or collecting data for ads, despite popular perception.

All that other stuff is a loss leader for selling ads.

It used to be that way. Now there are several businesses that aren't just surfaces for ads. The productivity suite, cloud, etc

Re: Google Internal Comics

#64

Post by Xorlev »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #42
Xorlev wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of Google is not dedicated towards building Ads, surfaces where ads are displayed, or collecting data for ads, despite popular perception.

All that other stuff is a loss leader for selling ads.

Sorry, but that's not correct. As a counterexample, Google Cloud is not a "loss leader for ads". The hardware division is not a loss leader for ads. There are a myriad of counterexamples.

A loss leader is a product which is used to acquire revenue through a different channel, such as game consoles which often sell at a loss on hardware to encourage game sales.

Re: Google Internal Comics

#65

Post by hiptobecubic »

travoc wrote: post #54
29athrowaway wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If Google didn't exist, then Baidu, Tencent or Alibaba would be mining your data instead. Is that what you would prefer?

I’d prefer that they all take their place in history next to the cigarette and trans fat corporations. Thanks for asking.

Cigarettes and trans fats are both still hugely popular.

Re: Google Internal Comics

#66

Post by saurik »

umvi wrote: post #59

https://goomics.net/329/ This one has a lot of meme opportunity. Imagine a third pane ("Oracle" or something) with guns pointed both inward and outward!

https://readwrite.com/2013/07/11/microsoft-reorganziation-tr...

edit: (I failed to realize this was in the same archive ;P. I now see someone else posted that link)

Re: Google Internal Comics

#67

Post by flowerlad »

powera wrote: post #49

Lots of good comics in there. A few I haven't seen highlighted yet: https://goomics.net/127/ - poor, poor Google Plus. Somehow it wasn't a warning sign that the big executive-supported project to Win Social was a laughingstock internally. https://goomics.net/202/ followed years later by https://goomics.net/294/ - everybody expected TGIF to get worse over time, and apparently it did. https://goomics.net/118/ - the las…

What's TGIF at Google? Is it a weekly event where you can ask exec questions in an open forum?

Re: Google Internal Comics

#69

Post by tolbish »

ekianjo wrote: post #46
bscphil wrote: post #13

I'm not saying this with the intent of harshly criticizing the author, but I admit it's surprising to me that someone (who had other options) would work for 14 years at a company they clearly came to believe was making the world a worse place.

Is there any human organization that is not making the world worse in one way or another? Its pretty much relative in any case, hardly purely evil or purely good unless you are very naive or very young.

Public broadcasting/public radio seems like a pure public good. Along with the people working on disaster.radio [0]

[0] https://disaster.radio/

Re: Google Internal Comics

#70

Post by pabs3 »

Xorlev wrote: post #64
kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All that other stuff is a loss leader for selling ads.

Sorry, but that's not correct. As a counterexample, Google Cloud is not a "loss leader for ads". The hardware division is not a loss leader for ads. There are a myriad of counterexamples. A loss leader is a product which is used to acquire revenue through a different channel, such as game consoles which often sell at a loss on hardware to encourage game sales.

Doesn't the hardware produced by Google direct users towards Google services that contain advertising? Or are they producing non-consumer hardware?
Post reply on HN