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Why I won’t work for Google

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Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#101

Post by gnaffle »

sidcool wrote: post #6

The response doesn't seem convincing. By this standards he's not supposed to work for any corporation. I am a Google fanboy, I agree, and this might skew my opinion, but I am always open to debate.

I think the big problem with Google is their obsessive compulsiveness in collecting data. Searches, chat logs, locations, everything is collected because storage is cheap. The collect it to improve their services, sure, to better target their advertising, of course. And Google may strive to protect that data and not share it with others. However, all this data makes Google a gold mine for governments, and giving out the data is not really in their control.

There are other companies that have business models don't necessitate all this data collection. When these companies have to cooperate with governments, there's a limit to the amount of useful information they can hand out about their customers.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#102

Post by fredgrott »

prolde wrote: post #86
jrockway wrote: post #82

Just out of curiosity, what do you folks see as the difference between looking at text with the intent to correct spelling (like this text box does) versus looking at text to put an advertisement next to it? (If I wanted to go reductio ad absurdum, what about looking at text to change foo into a link?) To be clear: I'm honestly curious, not trying to defend or advocate for one interpretation over another.

In my opinion, Google's activities are "evil" because they intentionally profile their consumers through parsing all their personal data (email, shopping history, etc). Furthermore, Google chooses to spy on their users through a matter that allows the NSA to collect entire profiles for Google's users. Google does this mainly for the money involved.

hmm having Google extend more effort after finding out that their data pipes to their servers were being spied upon by NSA seems to discount part of this

Compare Google and USPS..whereas the USPS has stated in public that their customer is the mass mailers(spammers) ..Google attempts a balance between two different customer groups..

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#103

Post by Oletros »

erddojo wrote: post #46
Oletros wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The products is ad space, not the users

If the product was the ad space, Google would be out of business. The product is the personal data Google packages up and sells to advertisers.

> The product is the personal data Google packages up and sells to advertisers

Can you put just one link that show that Google sell data to advertisers?

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#104

Post by apozem »

Oletros wrote: post #20

> We witnessed Google sending cease and desist letters to the developers and maintainers of the popular Android CyanogenMod for violating some patents by modifying open source elements of an open source licensed project Taking into account that this is not what happened between Google and Cyanogen I doubt about the knowledge of him

My thoughts exactly. If this guy didn't care to look up that the toss-up was about gApps (Google's proprietary products), that casts doubt onto the rest of his piece.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#105

Post by recentdarkness »

67726e wrote: post #98
mehrdada wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The primary reason I won't work for Google is because I'm nowhere near smart enough I think plenty of people tend to vastly overestimate Google's (or Facebook's, ...) hiring bar. I know quite a few people who would be happy to work there and (I believe) can easily beat the hiring process, but they self-eliminate themselves from the game, so I definitely recommend to folks not to make a prejudice about whether they…

Honestly, I used to think the same way. I am a college dropout that has about 3 years professional experience (thoigh I have been programming since I was a kid) and I suddenly have a Google recruiter coming after me and trying to get me to interview. I have worked with a guy who now works at Google and some people who interviewed at one time or another. They say the same thing as the parent post; Google hires good pr…

made the same experience. they also said they have different interview ways if someone does not have a degree in cs, math or anything what would give a more theoretical background. which is my case. still i am currently happy where i am and i am not really willing to relocate to any of their dev centers in Europe.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#106

Post by muyuu »

nutjob2 wrote: post #23
joeblau wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He may make enough money freelancing that he doesn't need to work for any corporation. If you're good at what you do in the Software space, you can command very strong 6 figure salaries and only have to "work" part of the year to maintain a very comfortable lifestyle.

Who do you think freelancers work for, exactly?

They can also work for individuals, startups, partnerships etc which don't need to be incorporated (at least not in my country).

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#108

Post by l33tbro »

hitchhiker999 wrote: post #40

Perhaps a few people don't understand why OP takes this so seriously. This is the 'long game', the game for the betterment of human existence. (Cliche? yes, true enough? - probably) If you still feel these huge corporations have our best interests at heart, you are being a touch naive. They are not 'evil' ofc, but they're probably not the best idea for the future.

What is your best idea for the future? Do you think I or anyone else would find it palatable?

Here's the thing: the profit motive is the impulse of corporations, not the sum total of all behavior. There are great people in corporations that do amazing shit within corporate structures. Coca-Cola have done incredible social art installations recently - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts_4vOUDImE

Google is a huge corporation based on the profit principle, but making coin has been the means for Page to fulfil his dreams of being remembered as our modern Tesla.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#109

Post by flavor8 »

tompagenet2 wrote: post #41

I think this unduly conflates his displeasure at the automated scanning of emails to target advertising and the NSA etc. bulk access to data. The former doesn't make the latter any more likely. All webmail services must hold their customers' emails, and they are therefore open to being read by a government or third party. Users could encrypt their emails, but it's very hard to do this while also making logging in and…

Yes, exactly.

Any webmail service that stores email unencrypted on its servers is subject to subpoena / FISA requests, and there isn't much they can do about it.

They could roll out client-side encryption -- but there's little business incentive for them to do so on free accounts. That said, as an option for paying apps users, it would be quite valuable.

Automatic scanning of emails isn't ethically suspect in my opinion.

My reasons for not working at google right now are: lack of desire to engage in big company politics, the apparent softening of the 20% time policy, regular-corporate/long hours, and the commute I'd have to take. Otherwise it'd be near top of my list should I go back into full time business.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#110

Post by hellbreakslose »

Are you even serious? I read your post. Its a nice fairytale. Let me explain to you what my dad has tought me: We live under structured societies and under a specific set of rules we call LAW. (I most certainly disagree with that... but thats life and how it is) Yes under my fantasy world everyone would have the same possibilities and everyone would be happy yada yada. But under the Actual world we are living at ... Google is just another part. The set of LAWS that have been up there and been built for the past 200-300 years made it clear that Goverments are above those Laws and can do anything they like.

If it wasn't Google tracking your data, it would be someone else doing it cause thats how the world that they setted up works! Do you think Google is happy with handing out info to goverments? No, its done cause they are forced to, and yes they can ask something in exchange. Thats the game of Power (Read Game of Thrones, you might understand that.)

So I suggest you to get out of that imaginary world of yours and live life (I don't say change your ideas), but if you really want to blame someone - BLAME YOURSELF, for voting for the politicians in your country and for not being able to force them into taking your opinion and stop spying on you.

Also regarding adSense and all the tracking... Well thats how business works, if you don't like it then its ok. Noone forced you to use google search or gmail or whatever it is that google has included in their adSense algorythm

Regards, A friendly man that lives TODAY!

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