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   Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 14-Oct-2023 02:44:56 JST Paul Cantrell

   • Ars Technica

   I remember very clearly the day before Google, the web before Google, web search before Google.

   I can tell you exactly why Google rocketed to popularity:

   1. Shockingly good search results

   2. Zero-BS home page

   3. Charming, geeky “Don’t be evil” ethos

   That’s pretty much the story.

   Fast forward (from @arstechnica):
   https://mastodon.social/@arstechnica/111228880939956716

   • Embed this notice
     pyrex (pyrex@dragon.style)'s status on Saturday, 14-Oct-2023 02:56:21 JST pyrex

     in reply to

     • Ars Technica

     @inthehands @arstechnica

     unix_joe is just correct:

   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 14-Oct-2023 02:56:21 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     • pyrex

     @pyrex
     My thoughts exactly

   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 14-Oct-2023 03:00:10 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     I can also tell you have Google became so profitable:

     1. AdWords

     It’s more complicated than that, but also it’s kinda not.

     One of my broken record Paulisms: A company’s values will asymptotically approach its business model.

   • Embed this notice
     Jeff Miller (orange hatband) (jmeowmeow@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 14-Oct-2023 03:07:48 JST Jeff Miller (orange hatband)

     in reply to

     @inthehands Especially if its compensation model is stock-based, which accelerates the convergence between company decisions and demonstrating visible revenue growth (which is a narrow view of a business model).

   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 14-Oct-2023 03:10:55 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     • Jeff Miller (orange hatband)

     @jmeowmeow This is quite true. It’s also true of privately-owned companies and even nonprofits, however: eventually, you’ll be asking questions about either growth or survival — you want to continue the mission, right? you’re the good guys, aren’t you? — and in those moments, it’s hard for values not to shift.

   • Embed this notice
     Ben Sahlmueller (b3n@g0v.social)'s status on Saturday, 14-Oct-2023 03:12:20 JST Ben Sahlmueller

     in reply to

     @inthehands many people under appreciate that googles main accomplishment is building the ad back-piping for most of the internet. It’s more about the infrastructure than the websites. (Which given how dominant the websites are says even more about the infrastructure).

   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 14-Oct-2023 03:12:20 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     • Ben Sahlmueller

     @b3n Yup. Search is what made them popular, but AdWords, the DoubleClick purchase, and other associated infra is what’s had the greatest systemic/societal effects.

   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Saturday, 14-Oct-2023 03:30:40 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     • pyrex

     @pyrex
     For you and unix_joe: https://hachyderm.io/@inthehands/111229127553776459