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Google to close engineering office in Russia

reuters.com

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Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#151

Post by PJDK »

osipov wrote: post #134
unprepare wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Russia#Propagand... No, it isnt. key point from the text: Under the statute it is effectively illegal to hold any gay pride events, speak in favor of gay rights, or say that gay relationships are equal to heterosexual relationships in presence of minors.[5][57][60][64][65]

You are not parsing the text correctly. It is legal to "hold any gay pride events, speak in favor of gay rights, or say that gay relationships are equal to heterosexual relationships" It is illegal "illegal to hold any gay pride events, speak in favor of gay rights, or say that gay relationships are equal to heterosexual relationships _in presence of minors_."

There's nothing wrong with telling Children that it's fine to be gay

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#152

Post by razster »

duaneb wrote: post #138
curiously wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think Putin can keep this up with the falling currency and economy crashing? Or does he have a stronghold on everyone with guns that nobody could take him down? I wonder if Russia could change to a more democratic and liberal tone after Putin. I mean, it seems like Putin wants to go back straight to Soviet era.

> I mean, it seems like Putin wants to go back straight to Soviet era. There were many different soviet eras, each with their own problems and strengths. Putin's doing his own thing. Just because he's becoming more authoritarian doesn't mean he's becoming Soviet.

I see him as more of a puppet to be honest, though I'm more than likely wrong, still it seems like he is just a puppet.

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#153

Post by drzaiusapelord »

jkaljundi wrote: post #125

Acronis, one of best known Russian tech companies, is slowly moving to Estonia: http://www.investinestonia.com/en/about-estonia/news/article... There are also quite a few who are moving from Russia to Ukraine. Also remembered this: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-28/luxoft-to-move-500-...

I can't imagine doing business with a Russian owned company at this point. An autocratic regime has never been good for internet or software freedoms.

I'm very glad I chose Sophos over Kaspersky for our shop.

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#154

Post by jarek »

nemanja wrote: post #145
jarek wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really curious how you feel about Litvinenko's work with MI6. Western agent and traitor to Russia should be non-controversial and not bad from Western point of view, but how about the dirtbag?

I suppose I don't place data surveillance and stuff like journalist executions, apartment bombings, staging theater/school hostage situations in the same weight class of morally wrong.

Did you have "data surveillance" in mind when you wrote "Further, we will never know what he sold to Russia to earn his welcome"?

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#155

Post by drzaiusapelord »

curiously wrote: post #112
danmaz74 wrote: post #28

Putin is increasingly cracking down on any possibility of dissent and threat to his power, whatever the consequences to the Russian economy, and this of course scares foreign companies who work there - even if, with the recent fall of the ruble, Russian talent is even more affordable now. I'm afraid (I have friends in Russia) that we're going to see more of this.

Do you think Putin can keep this up with the falling currency and economy crashing? Or does he have a stronghold on everyone with guns that nobody could take him down? I wonder if Russia could change to a more democratic and liberal tone after Putin. I mean, it seems like Putin wants to go back straight to Soviet era.

My Russian friends on Facebook love Putin. Why would they overthrow him? He's given them everything they wanted: revenge on West for the cold war, bullying neighbors, a toughguy image, punishing homosexuals, and up until recently a higher oil price (coincidental of course). Sorry I just don't believe that the Russian people are interested in peace or human rights. Putin reflects the will of majority. I think Russia's culture is just broken.

I don't think a lot of Americans understand how corrupt and messed up that culture is. Ever do business there? I have. Its madness compared to the west. They're not Europeans. They're Russians. They have their own ideas of what passes for justice and international law. I'm getting a little sick of hearing how Putin doesn't reflect the average Russian's political will. Sadly, Putin does.

Isolation and sanctions are the only rational move at this point. We've gone down this road before several times and recently with Iran. Do you guys really think the average Iranian wants Ali Khamenei overthrown? Come on.

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#156

Post by raquo »

duaneb wrote: post #138
curiously wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think Putin can keep this up with the falling currency and economy crashing? Or does he have a stronghold on everyone with guns that nobody could take him down? I wonder if Russia could change to a more democratic and liberal tone after Putin. I mean, it seems like Putin wants to go back straight to Soviet era.

> I mean, it seems like Putin wants to go back straight to Soviet era. There were many different soviet eras, each with their own problems and strengths. Putin's doing his own thing. Just because he's becoming more authoritarian doesn't mean he's becoming Soviet.

He controls all law enforcement and mass media, restricts freedom of speech, prosecutes political competition, enables corruption and connections-with-benefits, and has everyone eat this crap because patriotism.

I struggle to recall a soviet era without these traits.

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#157

Post by unprepare »

osipov wrote: post #134
unprepare wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Russia#Propagand... No, it isnt. key point from the text: Under the statute it is effectively illegal to hold any gay pride events, speak in favor of gay rights, or say that gay relationships are equal to heterosexual relationships in presence of minors.[5][57][60][64][65]

You are not parsing the text correctly. It is legal to "hold any gay pride events, speak in favor of gay rights, or say that gay relationships are equal to heterosexual relationships" It is illegal "illegal to hold any gay pride events, speak in favor of gay rights, or say that gay relationships are equal to heterosexual relationships _in presence of minors_."

I am not parsing anything incorrectly.

> _in presence of minors_

so, anywhere in public? where would one find space to hold a public event where children are guaranteed to not be present?

Also the whole line of reasoning is that mentioning homosexuality to children makes them gay which is... bad? thats a value judgment on homosexuality that was put in place by the government, yet you are trying to constantly say that this law holds no prejudice? what a shill.

Oh, before you try to come back with 'thats not a value judgement!' hold your breath. the law literally states that you cant say that gay relationships are equal to heterosexual relationships to children, that leaves only two possible positions: either homosexual relationships are better or they are worse

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#158

Post by krschultz »

dragonwriter wrote: post #139
[deleted] wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[deleted]

> The argument for the war in Iraq was not that Hussein was involved in 9/11. Direct links of the Hussein regime to al-Qaeda was prominent as justification for the war. > The argument was that Hussein had WMD (reasonable assumption given that the US had given him a bunch of chemical weapons and he had used them against his own people), and that intelligence said he was going to attack next. It was a "preemptive" war.…

Honestly I'm just going to delete the comment (even though it was upvoted a bunch). Not worth rehashing something this far off topic on HN. My bad.

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#159

Post by okatsu »

osipov wrote: post #140
pandaman wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know that propaganda of sex to children had been forbidden last year (which makes one wonder, has it really been legal before 2013?), did not know this one. Any links would be appreciated. I can read and write Russian so the law's name would be good enough for me.

It is legal to speak in favor of gay rights. It is illegal for adults to speak in favor of gay rights TO MINORS. Much like it is legal to have sex. And illegal for adults to have sex with minors. The law is explained in detail here: http://gallery.mailchimp.com/d0e55f3197099944345708652/files...

Did you just compare a minor being told that homosexuality is okay to having sex with an adult?

And as I've said earlier, that basically prevents any public promotion.

Re: Google to close engineering office in Russia

#160

Post by sschueller »

robk wrote: post #34

Word is that most employees are being offered full relocation (generally to Zurich) which I have to think will be well received. This goes for both Moscow and St Petersburg.

Zürich is going to be difficult with the new ruling from Parliament to reduce the permits for people outside of the EU. (1)

Yet Google announced opening another office today.

(1)http://mobile2.tagesanzeiger.ch/articles/29666497

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