So, go work for a research institution that tackles a difficult, "noble" problem. Good programmers would be much appreciated.
Why I'd never work for Google, Twitter, or Facebook
31–40 of 173 posts
Re: Why I'd never work for Google, Twitter, or Facebook
#32I've never understood the absolute hostility some people have for a small div of advertising that you can easily ignore.
I don't particularly like being a product, thank you.
I wonder how many people who say this are the same people who'd pay for every one of the free services offered by these companies. I for one would rather have ads.
Re: Why I'd never work for Google, Twitter, or Facebook
#33I'd never work for any company, because their whole purpose is to make money. How tawdry.
In other news, I'm starting my sophomore year of high school this month.
Re: Why I'd never work for Google, Twitter, or Facebook
#34Saying that Google's primary purpose is to serve ads is like saying that a government's primary purpose is to collect taxes. It's a means to an end; not an end in and of itself.
Re: Why I'd never work for Google, Twitter, or Facebook
#35If you happen to take a wider view, almost our entire society is frivolous. Banks, politicians, salesmen, lawyers... very few people actually do anything that improves peoples lives in meaningful ways. Farmers, scientists, teachers, and construction workers are maybe the exception.
Well, a lot of early banking was developed for and by farmers who wanted to lock in a fixed price for their crops before the harvest.
And science and teaching are only possible because of the economic surpluses generated by trade, which is again, facilitated by banking. Teachers don't work for free! If anyone threatens their final salary pensions they go on strike!
Re: Why I'd never work for Google, Twitter, or Facebook
#36I've wondered a lot whether ads don't actually add value. Seeing as the ads get more and more directed to you personally, knowing about something might actually be good for you.
For example: let's say I'm looking for "Animal Farm" online. An ad for the book "1984" might actually create value in this case.
Re: Why I'd never work for Google, Twitter, or Facebook
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't particularly like being a product, thank you.
I wonder how many people who say this are the same people who'd pay for every one of the free services offered by these companies. I for one would rather have ads.
Ads seem harmless until they start using your likeness to sell stuff to others or vice versa.
Re: Why I'd never work for Google, Twitter, or Facebook
#38This is why I work for Kiva. There are lots of new projects with fun technologies, but at the end of the day, it's all about "saving the world". Plus, I end up meeting a lot of Google, Twitter, and Facebook folk anyways.
Re: Why I'd never work for Google, Twitter, or Facebook
#39I've had similar feelings about working for financial services industries - all of their main revenue sources don't actually make anyone's life any better, other than in some tangential way that is secondary to the enrichment of the company. That said, most internet companies do deliver some modicum of usefulness to their users, as a byproduct of selling their eyeballs to advertisers (which is the actual product).
Except that they do. Ever wondered, for example, how Google, Apple, Microsoft or any other public company that makes products you are likely using got their main funding? (Hint: IPO.)
Re: Why I'd never work for Google, Twitter, or Facebook
#40It's strange to have some moral objection to advertising because advertising is, ultimately, a form of discovery, a way of connecting people who want or need something with those that supply it. Ad revenue on the Internet, almost by definition, means someone found something they wanted.
How exactly is it bad to connect people with things they want and need?
The problem with advertising is when it gets too obtrusive, like on TV when, near the end of a movie, you'll see an ad break every 6 minutes (at least in Australia).
I generally like the way Google does advertising (disclaimer: I work for Google). It doesn't get in your way (except in some cases on Youtube). It pays for a lot of great services that are free to the end user (search, GMail) and Google clearly separates organic search results from paid promotion.
How anyone can have a moral objection to that baffles me.