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   Lauren Weinstein (lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org)'s status on Friday, 24-Feb-2023 05:03:06 JST Lauren Weinstein

   in reply to

   • Tim Bray

   @timbray As you probably know, I have long been a critic of key aspects of G's public communications policies, which I feel cause problems in a wide range of ways, both for users and Google.

   • Embed this notice
     Tim Bray (timbray@hachyderm.io)'s status on Friday, 24-Feb-2023 05:03:07 JST Tim Bray

     in reply to

     @lauren I think you and I are of comparable vintage. I'm a heavy user of G products and admirer of their tech and technologists, generally; My problem with G is the corrupting influence of AdTech and the monopolized structure of that marketplace. There is pure evil there and I just can't get past it.

     Symptom: I worked at Google for 4 years in fairly senior outward-facing roles and never met a customer. That is weird and dysfunctional.

   • Embed this notice
     Lauren Weinstein (lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org)'s status on Friday, 24-Feb-2023 05:03:12 JST Lauren Weinstein

     in reply to

     • Tim Bray

     @timbray The reality remains -- in my opinion -- that compared with what else is out there G still stands the best chance of doing the most good for the most people in this sphere. Both the Right and the Left have turned into tech haters to a major extent, and their ersatz "solutions" will leave the vast majority of people out in the cold. Perhaps part of my attitude is forged from the fact that I've been around long enough to have watched multiple cycles in tech and the fall of many firms, and what the aftermaths turned out to actually be.

   • Embed this notice
     Tim Bray (timbray@hachyderm.io)'s status on Friday, 24-Feb-2023 05:03:13 JST Tim Bray

     in reply to

     @lauren

     Assume you've read https://medium.com/@pravse/the-maze-is-in-the-mouse-980c57cfd61a

     I spent 4 years at G and am pessimistic, the cultural malaise leaves no good platform for all those technically excellent people to stand on.

   • Embed this notice
     Lauren Weinstein (lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org)'s status on Friday, 24-Feb-2023 05:03:18 JST Lauren Weinstein

     I am concerned for #Google. I consider them to be a great firm, one of the few truly great firms I've ever worked with (two others are AT&T Bell Labs during their pre-divestiture heyday, and Digital Equipment Corp.)

     I also feel that despite some faults -- because no firm is perfect -- Google represents the best hope of users going forward in this incredibly toxic political environment. And I don't want to see Google taken down by haters or by problematic decisions.