
Google Loved Me, Until I Pointed Out Everything That Sucked About It - toeknee
https://www.elle.com/culture/tech/a30259355/google-walkout-organizer-claire-stapleton/
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pinewurst
"Later, I spent five years in the Marketing department promoting the narrative
that YouTube is a net-positive for society, while every day witnessing how
ill-equipped the company’s leadership was to govern a social media platform as
it became a breeding ground for extremism, disinformation, harassment, and
child abuse."

This like reading something from a Scientology defector.

~~~
corporateslave5
It’s fundamentally hard to govern YouTube. The tools to analyze and remove
harmful video content don’t exist. Pic one, the existence of YouTube and
harmful videos or no YouTube at all.

~~~
pinewurst
I don't deny that. But to consciously serve as an advocate/mouthpiece knowing
it's a evil mess, for the sake of one's Googliness (the joy of the happy, well
rewarded elite family)?

~~~
mtnGoat
Having an "elite" job that is very financially rewarding and the lifestyle
that comes with, is what a lot of big-tech is offering in exchange for loose
morals. Thats how these people justify turning a blind eye for so long.

I'd venture to bet a lot of these folks wouldn't be willing to look the other
way for $50k a year.

~~~
pinewurst
If it was simply that though - overt cash for compliance - I wouldn't feel so
angry. It's the exuded sense of superiority - "The cash is because we're such
great people" rather than an acknowledged payoff for socially negative duties.

~~~
perl4ever
When people talk about this sort of thing, it's always with the tone that
people ought to be paid more for doing good.

But if people had to be paid more for doing good, on average, that would mean
most people preferred doing bad things! Which would be bad and mean most
people would be evil.

Doing the right thing being costly isn't a thing that just happens to be true
of our imperfect society, it's an unavoidable logical consequence of
distinguishing between "right" and "profitable".

Convince me I'm wrong.

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mtnGoat
I think this is a perfect case of "drinking too much of the kool aid". Google
hasn't been nice and fuzzy for a long time now, and anyone working there
thinking the organization is going to change "for the better", is a fool. It's
the nature of the beast, as companies grow, things change and mature. If you
want to work at a growing, caring company and not a behemoth, change
companies. I've never understood arguing and fighting with your employer, it's
their game, their field and their ball.

~~~
sneak
“maturing” and behaving unethically and breaking laws are not synonymous.

Google, for a long time, did things in nonstandard, intelligent, innovative
ways. That time is gone, but it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that that time
would end on a schedule.

Also, most employers, Google included, are nothing without their staff: it is
decidedly _not_ “their field and their ball”. Organizing is important and
powerful, and that’s why it’s supposedly protected.

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hos234
I hope the internal resistance gets more organized and tactical. Cause this
story is not ending any time soon given the number of issues involved.

In any large org, its well known which execs up the food chain exist to play
empire defense and which ones can cause real change. Both sides will have
their own entrenched networks of support. Understanding those networks is
critical to getting change through. Applying pressure without mapping and
understanding internal org politics is how people end up getting fired in
large orgs.

Googlers basically have to use their Profiling and Targeting expertise on
their own org chart to weaken the status quoists and identify/strengthen those
who can make change happen. Just getting your stories in the press is not
going to do shit.

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jasonmar
I joined Google less than 3 months before the walkout. Mid level management
practically encouraged us to attend. There were big numbers but most were
probably there out of curiosity. I was really disappointed. In the New York
walkout, there was a tiny area with an underpowered bullhorn and nobody could
hear what they were saying. Exactly one hour after it started, everyone was
bored of standing around and went straight back to work.

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rurban
Now waiting for the lawsuit. Hope it will get good press. It's illegal, and
everyone knows.

