

Google X Lab should open up - marshallp

Google X Lab should open up about what they're
doing in a public way. Create an open discussion
forum where the general public can comment.<p>Like kickstarter projects, they could even fund the
research with pre-orders or even donations. Sergey
and Larry have a brand name and could use it
by simply endorsing research and the money would
flow in.<p>They might have gotten the idea the secretiveness
is a good strategy from Apple, but that confuses
correlation with causation. Apple succeeded with
solid build quality matched with solid software and
some free marketing from early adopters fanboys.<p>So far, X Lab has failed to some extent. They've
produced no solid products. Google cars, google
glass, still nowhere to be seen. Opening up would
allow a much larger number of people to contribute.<p>Large orgs haven't realized that in the age of 
limitless communication, the internet, the public
can be more helpful than paid employees. Google
should take the lead in encouraging the public
to contribute and showing the rest of industry how
it's done.
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true_religion
I think Google X lab and Kickstarter are targetting very different goals.

X Lab is a skunkworks division: massive funding, bright people all in one
area, defined goals.

A lot of what they do can be categorized as pure research with only the vague
possibility of one day, maybe spinning it off as a product.

Google Cars have been in development for years, and will be for years more til
they can be considered consumer ready.

Kickstarter and its ilk are for shorter term projects where design and
engineering, but not necessarily research is needed.

