No technology company is arguably more responsible for shaping the modern internet, and modern life, than Google. The company that started as a novel search engine now manages eight products with more than 1 billion users each. Many of those people use Google software to search the repository of human knowledge, communicate, perform work, consume media, and maneuver the endlessly vast internet in 2018. On Tuesday, September 4th, Google turned 20 years old, marking one of the most staggeringly influential runs for any corporation in history.
Even though I got into computing way before Google became a household name, it still feels like Google is a lot older than it actually is – almost as if it’s always been there. While the company has – like every other technology company – terrible ethics, there’s no denying it’s a major success story.
Has it really been only 20 years? Seems like longer.
Who remembers Excite and Alta Vista?
I still miss boolean searches like Alta Vista had. Must have have this, but avoid all searches that includes this false positive.
I relied on Hotbot and AltaVista before.
Anyways, I barely consider them a tech company. You should be defined by your biggest product: Which is Google’s own users themselves. Google is an advertising company first. And a tech company second. One that sadly destroyed better tech (interface on Win Phone, or QNX/Blackberry). And they don’t even care about the OS that killed them (Android). It’s probably on it’s leg too. It served it’s purpose.
You are the PRODUCT with Google, FB and the rest.
What you do, where you go, how you live and even what you eat is simply a Prime Rib meal to Google. They need a constant stream of data on everyone so that they can in turn feed data to their clients (The Advertising Agencies).
Use Google, FB etc and you are feeding the Dragon.
At least FB and Twitter turned up for the Senate Hearings yesterday. Google didn’t. Read into that what you will…
I’m glad google didn’t show up to that scam of a “hearingâ€. When you have fascist conspiracy theory toting nutjobs presented front and center in the audience, maybe you should rethink the politicized display of fake outrage.
I’m going to support google more now, since they show they actually have some balls.
That’s probably marketing as well.
How do you support Google “more”? If you’ve already supported them at all, you’ve already given them enough.
Though Google’s sometimes backpedaled on its better stances, I do think that its rank and file employees are better than that. For evidence, I point to where in the course of getting on board with Project Maven, working on AI for weaponized drones with the Pentagon, Google dropped “Don’t be evil” from its official creed, and there was a backlash in its staff strong enough that Google shall not be renewing its involvement after the initial year expires.
That’s a bit better than average in the USA.