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Google's Decline Really Bugs Me

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Re: Google's Decline Really Bugs Me

#51

Post by Fomite »

dmak wrote: post #48
gilgoomesh wrote: post #45

The paragraph involving Steve Jobs is a misquote at best or a completely wrong at worst. If you read the article that paragraph links, it doesn't mention "maximizing profit" or money at all. I think this paragraphs reflects badly on the entire article – it makes the article appear to be a struggle to create a connect-the-dots conspiracy behind Google's actions (evil Steve Jobs told Larry Page to be evil and now Googl…

After reading the Steve Jobs book, the biggest emphasis was focus on making a great product. He was never in it for the money; He was making $1 a year at one point.

$1 a year and a massive pile of stock. That's a big show of faith in your abilities and your company, but that's hardly "Never in it for the money".

Re: Google's Decline Really Bugs Me

#52

Post by yuhong »

michaelochurch wrote: post #46

This is not worth getting "bugged" about. I say this as one who made that exact mistake. It's really traumatic to see those who are supposed to be leading fail, but it's an ahistorical truth not worth getting emotional about. I don't care to speak about Google, but more generally, here's something everyone needs to know. Regarding the way we assess companies, it's probably the truest thing in the world. Here it is: r…

On Google, I hope you have read this: http://www.businessinsider.com/sex-and-politics-at-google-it...

Re: Google's Decline Really Bugs Me

#53

Post by mathattack »

nostrademons wrote: post #23
birken wrote: post #6

Here are 3 pertinent facts related to your post: 1) When I worked there, long before Larry Page was CEO, 20% time barely existed and Google cared a heck of a lot about making money. 2) The share price going up makes employees, former employees, and all sorts of non-"wall street investors" very happy. 3) Your hacker news about section links to your Google+ page

1) 20% time still exists. I used it to write an HTML parser [1] that's had some modest success, and I have coworkers that have 20%ed on robotics, quantum computation, elementary school education, Project Loon, Flu Trends, and a variety of other interesting things. Google Now came out of a 20% project. It is something that you have to take a lot of initiative on to pull off successfully, but the opportunity is still a…

Does 20% realistically come between 80 and 100%, 100 and 120, or 120 and 140%?

Re: Google's Decline Really Bugs Me

#54

Post by kruipen »

matthewmacleod wrote: post #38

What's with the sudden outpouring of Google-hate of late? I totally get that Google is changing, and has been doing so for a while. But I don't see that as "evil," and I'm struggling to see why anybody would. Google around maybe five or six years ago was a wasteland of shoddy, broken, unintegrated products, many with half-assed, confusing interfaces. That's been tightened up - many of their products are now substanti…

http://rbt.asia/g/thread/S38087806#p38088073

Re: Google's Decline Really Bugs Me

#55

Post by Zoomla »

matthewmacleod wrote: post #38

What's with the sudden outpouring of Google-hate of late? I totally get that Google is changing, and has been doing so for a while. But I don't see that as "evil," and I'm struggling to see why anybody would. Google around maybe five or six years ago was a wasteland of shoddy, broken, unintegrated products, many with half-assed, confusing interfaces. That's been tightened up - many of their products are now substanti…

it looks like you answered your own question (at least partially): "GMail's [new] interface pisses me off, the new Maps layout is infuriating" ... but there is many other reasons to dislike Google's choices... I still miss the - and + operator when using Google search for example (this change happened when they started to push Google+)

Re: Google's Decline Really Bugs Me

#56

Post by ams6110 »

dictum wrote: post #13

> Now it's just another large company - only concerned about maximizing profit. > Google was a company that, for a time, I loved. To me, they represented the antithesis of Microsoft, a rebellion against a poisonous corporate culture dominated by profiteering that had no regard for its users. Maybe You're Just Not Their Target Demographic Anymore™ Google had better ideals, sure. But I'd say their current actions are a…

Don't forget, as CEO of a public company, one of his primary responsibilities (probably THE primary responsibility in fact) is to maximize shareholder value. A public company can't just do whatever the founders want anymore, or operate like a charity.

Re: Google's Decline Really Bugs Me

#59

Post by pbhjpbhj »

jdreaver wrote: post #19

> Larry Page worshiped Steve Jobs, who gave him a bunch of bad advice centered around maximizing profit. What is so bad about maximizing profit? If you make a profit, it means people are willingly giving you money for the service you provide. You make more profit when people feel they benefit more from your service. People can complain about Google until the end of time, but as long as the cash keeps flowing then Goo…

>You make more profit when people feel they benefit more from your service. //

That's clearly not the only way to make more profit. If for example one has entrenched users and cuts the level of service markedly, or increases the cost, then profit increases. There is no need for anyone to benefit more other than the shareholders.

You can also improve a service without charging more. Again profit and benefit will not be directly correlated.

For me Google's search has been doing down-hill for a year or so, to my recollection. I've been using them for about 15 years. It's my primary point of contact despite using webmaster tools and a couple of other offerings.

Usually I try alternate SE about once every year to see if I can find something that works better for me. I just changed my primary SE to duckduckgo. Being so used to Google's interface it's proving hard but not impossible (as it was a last year for me); still not sure I'll settle on it but continually convinced Google isn't working any more.

Re: Google's Decline Really Bugs Me

#60

Post by davmre »

ams6110 wrote: post #56
dictum wrote: post #13

> Now it's just another large company - only concerned about maximizing profit. > Google was a company that, for a time, I loved. To me, they represented the antithesis of Microsoft, a rebellion against a poisonous corporate culture dominated by profiteering that had no regard for its users. Maybe You're Just Not Their Target Demographic Anymore™ Google had better ideals, sure. But I'd say their current actions are a…

Don't forget, as CEO of a public company, one of his primary responsibilities (probably THE primary responsibility in fact) is to maximize shareholder value. A public company can't just do whatever the founders want anymore, or operate like a charity.

Sure, in some sense Larry has a responsibility to maximize shareholder value. But he has significantly more freedom than many CEOs do in how to approach that goal.

"Google is not a conventional company. We do not intend to become one. ... Therefore, we have implemented a corporate structure that is designed to protect Google's ability to innovate and retain its most distinctive characteristics. ... The main effect of this structure is likely to leave our team, especially Sergey and me, with increasingly significant control over the company's decisions and fate. ... We believe strongly that in the long term, we will be better served-as shareholders and in all other ways-by a company that does good things for the world even if we forgo some short term gains."

-- http://investor.google.com/corporate/2004/ipo-founders-lette...

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