>If TPUs hold up to the hype, GCloud may become the de facto for ML/AI startups.
Don't startups want to win a big exit though? Google won't need to buy the startup for billions, because the TOS already grants them permission to use all the models and training data for free. Seems like a Faustian bargain to me.
Cloud TPU product manager here. As I said in another thread:
The TOS you are quoting only refers to the information you provide in the survey. Here are the Google Cloud TOS: https://cloud.google.com/terms/ if you're interested in what Cloud does with customers data.
5.2 Use of Customer Data. Google will not access or use Customer Data, except as necessary to provide the Services to Customer.
It's worth noting that Google Cloud has its own terms of service that is very different from what you may be thinking of: https://cloud.google.com/terms/
Regardless of the TOS saying that or not (I haven't read them), I can think of at least two reasons why your statement doesn't hold:
1) AI startups usually don't have a lot of value to potential acquirers based on their data, but based on other things (e.g., talent, customers, business model, platform, brand). That's like saying you shouldn't use AWS because Amazon can just steal and commercialize all your data.
2) There are other companies than Google that acquire startups
Having said that, I highly doubt that Google can just use all the training data to on GCloud to launch their own products with that. They can surely look at it and maybe do stuff with them internally, but I am pretty sure that they can't use them commercially.
>They can surely look at it and maybe do stuff with them internally, but I am pretty sure that they can't use them commercially.
How would you ever know if they did? People who worked at Google have been accused, by Google, of stealing the entire self driving car program and taking it to a competitor.
It's also vastly different. Of course someone working at at google on a project has access to that project. It doesn't mean they have access to your stuff.
First of all, that's wrong (as another comment pointed out). Of course, the probability of them stealing your stuff is non-zero, but it's very rare. Even if you use all your own hard and software, people still can steal your stuff :-)
I can be hacked by malware which can leak secrets from air gapped, Faraday caged machines. Therefore, I should put my billion dollar idea on the public cloud and just trust Google.
Because you do not stay in business if you operate in such a manner. Plus it is not good from an employee standpoint in retaining. Most people prefer to conduct themselves in an ethical manner.
Hard to get employees to not steal from you if you are stealing from your customers.
Don't startups want to win a big exit though? Google won't need to buy the startup for billions, because the TOS already grants them permission to use all the models and training data for free. Seems like a Faustian bargain to me.