Not sure if this was mentioned but does anyone else think it's sleazy that Google tries to poach employees from other companies via Foobar[1]?
U.S. states file updated antitrust complaint against Google
141–150 of 261 posts
Re: U.S. states file updated antitrust complaint against Google
#142Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just think about all the development and financial data and ideas that google has a direct untraceable back door into through running gmail, android phones, and chrome browser alone... I have resorted to using an old school notepad for my development ideas pretty much. A software company I used to work for got shuttered just 3 months after a big software company paid the startup a visit to observe operations back in…
You forgot Chromebooks, that everyone around here is so eager to advocate, basically running their business on Google's infrastructure.
>You forgot Chromebooks, that everyone around here is so eager to advocate
Got a source for that?
Re: U.S. states file updated antitrust complaint against Google
#143As more data comes out about Google, Apple, Amazon, one simple underlying thing becomes clear: a single company cannot be trusted to operate a marketplace while also being a participant . Apple's App Store insider knowledge lets them discover popular apps, then boot them off the platform when they decide to compete. Amazon sees what products are successful and profitable, then makes knock-offs which they promote over…
I can open a lemonade stand, I just can't sell my own lemonade, is that corrrect?
Re: U.S. states file updated antitrust complaint against Google
#144Earlier quoted context omitted.
It always completely astounded me how countless professional businesses are casually and mindlessly handing over their most private internal communication and metrics to Google on a platter. And aren't Google's privacy policies and ToS's stating that all collected information can be used to "improve their own services" or something along those lines? Does that include 'extract business advantage' from your data? I do…
(Not a Google engineer) Google's engineers are notoriously loose-lipped (which is a good thing!!!). There's no way they would be able to keep a secret like this. Anytime a customer's private data gets accessed, you either a) need approval by someone or b) "break the glass", which is only reserved for oncall fires. Either way, it gets audited. The only way I would believe something like this is if an executive/higher…
Google employs a huge number of engineers. It can assemble a very tight lipped group of people if it wants to.
Re: U.S. states file updated antitrust complaint against Google
#145As more data comes out about Google, Apple, Amazon, one simple underlying thing becomes clear: a single company cannot be trusted to operate a marketplace while also being a participant . Apple's App Store insider knowledge lets them discover popular apps, then boot them off the platform when they decide to compete. Amazon sees what products are successful and profitable, then makes knock-offs which they promote over…
I can open a lemonade stand, I just can't sell my own lemonade, is that corrrect?
Now that's one hell of a straw man. Do you also plan on controlling this stand, allowing others to sell on your stand while watching every single transaction (and maybe the recipe so that the analogy is complete?) and while also having the power to remove them from your stand?
Because if you are only talking about opening a stand and selling your lemonade, then you don't have the same foothold as Apple, Google or Amazon.
Re: U.S. states file updated antitrust complaint against Google
#146It'd be great if states actually focused on real problems like education and medicine instead of going after tech which provides services for free and is generally liked. No one is blaming tech for debt or financial ruin.
> provides services for free
It's not free when you are the product being sold.
Re: U.S. states file updated antitrust complaint against Google
#147As more data comes out about Google, Apple, Amazon, one simple underlying thing becomes clear: a single company cannot be trusted to operate a marketplace while also being a participant . Apple's App Store insider knowledge lets them discover popular apps, then boot them off the platform when they decide to compete. Amazon sees what products are successful and profitable, then makes knock-offs which they promote over…
> Amazon sees what products are successful and profitable, then makes knock-offs which they promote over the originals. And now, reading into this, Google is manipulating their ad markets using inside knowledge. This is nothing new, as brick and mortar retailers have store brands for popular products as well. While I'm glad that the move to the internet lets us reevaluate some of the social relations, I have a reeeea…
Maybe it was never right that those stores were also doing that.
There's also a matter of the level of dominance that the platform has. Something like half of e-commerce takes place on Amazon; most online ads are via Google; and Apple literally invented the name "App Store".
As for consumer harm, when the market is manipulated to remove competition, we are all harmed. Not today, not directly, but every day after that.
Re: U.S. states file updated antitrust complaint against Google
#148Earlier quoted context omitted.
It always completely astounded me how countless professional businesses are casually and mindlessly handing over their most private internal communication and metrics to Google on a platter. And aren't Google's privacy policies and ToS's stating that all collected information can be used to "improve their own services" or something along those lines? Does that include 'extract business advantage' from your data? I do…
(Not a Google engineer) Google's engineers are notoriously loose-lipped (which is a good thing!!!). There's no way they would be able to keep a secret like this. Anytime a customer's private data gets accessed, you either a) need approval by someone or b) "break the glass", which is only reserved for oncall fires. Either way, it gets audited. The only way I would believe something like this is if an executive/higher…
So Google has all the "checks&balances" in place, and corporate managed to turn them into a flawless and perfect system?
And the source for that claim is not even a Google engineer, but apparently somebody who heard how Google engineers are "notoriously loose-lipped".
From which loose-lipped Google engineer did you get that information about "needing approval", "breaking glass" and "audits"?
> The only way I would believe something like this is if an executive/higher up requests data access, gets it, and the person auditing looks the other way.
It's much easier to believe once you remember how Google actually makes its money [0].
In that context it not only becomes believable, but it actually fits perfectly into their MO [1].
[0] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/03/google-says-it-doesnt-...
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2016/03/09/google_ventures_yield...
Re: U.S. states file updated antitrust complaint against Google
#149It is mentioned in the article, but Google lost an appeal in the EU recently, related to ranking of its price search engine. But one wonders whether that's really such a big deal for Google. An interesting detail instead arises from the other cases. The one case Google apparently WANTS to settle out of court is the case on the use of data! Now, this should tell the careful reader quite a bit about what Google thinks…
> The one case Google apparently WANTS to settle out of court is the case on the use of data! Generally, companies want to settle out of court in order to bring a case to a defined conclusion and limit future liabilities. Along that vein, it's not an accident that this case is now news after the judgement in the EU.
I should have been more clear. Google is settling this case because it matters, and because it does not want to have a public court judgment on the matter of data usage.
Re: U.S. states file updated antitrust complaint against Google
#150As more data comes out about Google, Apple, Amazon, one simple underlying thing becomes clear: a single company cannot be trusted to operate a marketplace while also being a participant . Apple's App Store insider knowledge lets them discover popular apps, then boot them off the platform when they decide to compete. Amazon sees what products are successful and profitable, then makes knock-offs which they promote over…
imagine your Netflix and have to pay Apple massive % to be on their devices... then comes Apple with its own service and they can charge less because they don't charge them self's the % giving them very anti competitive advantage.
No, it would be a competitive thing. In chess capturing your opponents pieces to weaken them is a valid strategy you will see in any tournament. Capturing Netflix's marketshare by offering a cheaper alternative is competitive. Putting your enemy in disadvantaged positions is just part of the game.