

Google’s reasons for leaving China aren’t as pure as they seem - razorburn
http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/gathering-clouds

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nfnaaron
"But Google’s motivations are not as pure as they may seem. ... If Google had
not, as it revealed in its announcement, "detected a highly sophisticated and
targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China,"
there's no reason to believe it would have altered its policy of censoring
search results to fit the wishes of the Chinese authorities. It was the
attack, not a sudden burst of righteousness, that spurred Google’s action."

I think everyone gets this. They held their nose, to make money, and then
received the final straw from a hostile government.

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ErrantX
I think it's slightly more positive than that. They held their nose to make
money, and felt that it was a net positive for Chinese people despite the
censorship.

That's just conjecture and purely a matter of what you believe about them ofc.

~~~
nfnaaron
I'm sure there's measurable truth in what you say, I was just boiling it down.
Not trying to slight Google at all.

But, the prospect of profit makes it much easier to convince yourself that
your product is a force for good.

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michaelcampbell
So is doing the right* thing for a mixture of right* and wrong* reasons is...
wrong?

* for whatever values of right and wrong you choose.

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Towle_
Somewhat unrelated:

After browsing around the site, I have to say I'm very impressed with The New
Republic and the quality of its writers. I'm adding them to my list of must-
read web sites at once! :)

