When a Senior Manager Talks about What Top Dogs Know That Could Come Back and Bite Hard
November 12, 2021
I read “Facebook Knew What It Was Doing, Eric Schmidt Says.” Of course, Facebook knew what it had been doing. The company is effectively the personal sandbox of Mr. Zuckerberg. The write up says:
Facebook, now known as Meta Platforms Inc., “went a little too far on the revenue side and not enough on the judgment side,” Schmidt said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. “You can see that from the Facebook leaks that have been occurring.”
This astute observation could be the verbal equivalent of a dog that bites its master. Google executives have been somewhat vague in their public statements and Congressional testimony about certain Google practices.
The top dog in a company knows what’s going on, eh? What do Google senior managers know about Google’s boots-on-the-ground practices? Probably a lot.
Stephen E Arnold, November 11, 2021
A Meta Variant: Creating Distraction
November 11, 2021
Is this play a trial balloon?
India is one of the growing hotbeds for technology innovation. Google has business interests in India and Daily Hunt explains that, “Google’s Recent Move To Cut Play Store SubscriptionFees A ‘Distraction Tactic’: ADIF.” The Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) says Google’s reduction on Play Store commissions from 30% to 15% is a tactic to “deflect and distract.”
The ADIF is an organization interested in protecting Indian digital startups from unfair practices. The plan to drop commissions on January 1, 2022 only happened, because developers pressured Google. Developers criticized Google for its steep fees. ADIF Executive Director Sijo Kuruvilla George claims Google lowering the commission rate is not an act of kindness, but only an attempt to distract developers from the lack of fair competition in India’s app market:
‘As long as Google gets to unilaterally dictate prices and people don’t have choices, it’s still a Lagaan – be it 30, 15 or even 2, the percentages do not matter. Deflect and distract seems to be what’s in play here. The portrayal and grandstanding, as a measure that fully acknowledges and addresses the concerns of developers, is misleading and objectionable,’ he said.”
Google also requires Indian app developers to adopt their billing system in March 2022. System integration and re-onboarding customers creates more work for the developers and their profits would diminish even with the drop to a 15% commission. The ADIF wants fair market competition and Google to allow alternate distribution of apps other than Google Play on Android OS.
Whitney Grace, November 11, 2021
Google Has the Tools to Shape Reality: Are Local Businesses a Public Demonstration of Functionality
November 9, 2021
I read about Google’s “effort to regain control of the antitrust narrative” in an essay published by Near Media. You can find that write up here. The idea is that Alphabet Google YouTube can employ “search features to sway small business sentiment.” The Cambridge Analytica example makes clear that even if framing, augmenting, and information shaping are not efficient, the methods work.
Now Google may be sufficiently concerned to employ the methods in a way that allows Near Media and even SEO wizards to sit up and take notice. An online newsletter founded by the luminary who later joined Google to explain “search” observed:
This is not the first time. When in legislative trouble before, Google has previously tried to appeal to users to make its case when laws change. In 2013, they made the case for cookies by telling searchers in the SERP, “Cookies help us deliver our services.” This was a prompt in response to European privacy laws.
SERP is one of the buzzwords much loved by search engine optimization specialists. SERP is “search engine result pages.” If an entity is not in Google or on the first page of a query result list, that entity effectively does not exist. Conversely, if information appears in such a position, that information has higher value and should be considered pretty darned reliable.
Shaping results is one of the easiest ways to provide information that frames and then paints the picture the controlling entity wishes to present. Some call this propaganda; others use terminology ripped from Orwell’s 1984.
Search Engine Land “cares.” Here’s the explanation of their emotional involvement:
While marketers are often more skeptical of the search giant’s methods and motives, it may be worth being proactive to your local SEO clients to let them know what this prompt means.
My interpretation is that the baloney shoveled by SEO experts is useless. Google has decided to exert its control in order to avoid regulation and oversight.
Will it work? Sure, it works. Just keep your eye on the lobbying efforts of the world’s largest outfit which once was associated with a truly crazy catchphrase, “Do no evil.”
If Google is sufficiently concerned, it may put pro Google, anti monopoly messages above the ads and before promotions of Google services. That would be something, wouldn’t it?
Stephen E Arnold, November 9, 2021
If True, More Google High School Science Club Management Antics on Display
November 9, 2021
I received a link to a tweet stream from Amruta Buge. You can find (hopefully) the posts at this link on the tweeter thing. The idea appears to be that a Googler has unceremoniously become a Xoogler. The brief messages suggest that the newly minted Xoogler was the subject of interesting management methods. Those of you who read my musings in the Beyond Search blog know that I use the phrase “high school science club management methods” to capture the oft en baffling ways in which bright sprouts interact with other humanoids. My hypothesis is that bright sprouts view other people as dim sprouts unable to flourish in the sun light of the superior sprouts’ intellects.
Is this the Xoogler Amruta Buge?
Here’s a rundown of the tweeter’s view of Google management and human resource methods:
- Frightening the employee
- Personal attacks
- Verbal criticism
- Financial penalties
- Failure to provide proof of performance.
Check out the original tweets for the complete list.
Let’s assume the complaints are not true. It seems clear that the Google has hired a person ill suited for the Googley environment. This raises the question, “What’s the hiring method?” (Timnit Gebru was another notable bad fit.)
If we assume the tweets reflect the reality of the GOOG, the high school science club management method of exclusion and snide behavior are remarkably effective in creating tension.
One interesting aspect of the tweet stream is the inclusion of emails for six of the high school science club’s management team. These are allegedly real live email addresses. Gold to some Google advertisers too.
Stephen E Arnold, November 9, 2021
A Dry Google Secret: Water Use in Oregon Dalles
November 9, 2021
Just a quick item. I want to keep track of this type of environmental secret and a local government’s effort to carry the water for the mom and pop online ad company. “The Dalles Sues to Keep Google’s Water Use a Secret.” The write up states:
Google is contemplating two new server farms on the site of a former aluminum smelter in The Dalles, where it already has an enormous campus of data centers on its property along the Columbia River. Google says it needs more water to cool its data centers, but neither the company nor the city will say how much more – only that The Dalles can’t meet Google’s needs without expanding its water system.
Data centers have to be cooled. Even nifty low draw devices can become toasty. It seems clear that neither Google nor the Dalles wants to reveal the water consumption. I wager that it is more than a couple of gallons a day.
Interesting.
Whatever the number, Intel may be asked about its proposed fabs’ water consumption. Arizona is downstream from some thirsty farms in Utah. Fabs are water piggies too.
Stephen E Arnold, November 9, 2021
YouTube: Doing the We-Are-Responsible, People Thing
November 8, 2021
YouTube has been criticized for how it handles child centric related content. The video platform implemented safety features, including a filter to prevent kids from watching inappropriate content as well as a kids only app. YouTube has responded to critics once more by hitting kid content creators where it hurts: the wallet. TechCrunch explains why YouTube is changing its rules for kid videos in the article, “YouTube Warns Creators It Will Demonetize Low-Quality Kids’ Videos Next Month.”
Many “made for kids” YouTube channels are mass-produced without any oversight. They are heavily commercial, low quality, and encourage bad behavior. YouTube warned these content creators that in November 2021 their videos could be demonetized and/or banned from the platform.
The new rules are similar to the same complaints kid TV shows and movies have faced since the mid-twentieth century:
“Ahead of this move, a number of consumer advocacy groups had been pressuring YouTube and regulators alike to put an end to these types of videos, saying they blurred the lines between content and advertising. Plus, they argued, some creators weren’t disclosing that they had brand relationships behind the scenes that were fueling this sort of content production.
But without enforcement and guidelines around what’s appropriate for kids, some of YouTube’s largest creators were channels like multimillionaire Ryan Kaji of Ryan ToysReview (now Ryan’s World), which focused heavily on consumerism and toy unboxings.”
Videos that promote excessive consumerism, children’s media characters in unofficial videos in non kid-friendly situations, and bad behavior such as bullying, disrespect, dangerous pranks, lying, and unhealthy habits will be deemed low quality. Content creators will be warned by email before their videos are removed. YouTube has not disclosed how any creators will be impacted.
The good news is that better YouTube’s algorithm filters, the “better” quality videos to young viewers. Better quality videos include themes being a good person, promoting learning and curiosity, encouraging creativity, imagination, diversity, equity, and inclusion. None of that bulimia or self abuse hoo hah.
Allegedly? Yep.
Whitney Grace, November 8, 2021
Google Drug Discovery, Not Solving Death
November 5, 2021
In 2013, Google wanted to solve death. Just another problem for the Google wizards to address. The mission was assigned to Calico. Backers included Larry Page. Some thumbtypers will recall that Calico is not a plain woven fabric which can contain chunks of the boll’s husk. Nor is Calico a three color fur wrapper. Calico was the California Life Company. Calico suffered a blow when a couple of wizards left the Google to apply machine learning to drug design. Calico still exists, but it is not making much progress on the solving death problem.
What’s interesting is that Google is jumping into an application of machine learning to a less slippery problem: Using smart software to discover new drugs.
“Alphabet Is Launching a Company That Uses AI for Drug Discovery” reports:
A new Alphabet company will use artificial intelligence methods for drug discovery, Google’s parent company announced Thursday. It’ll build off of the work done by DeepMind, another Alphabet subsidiary that has done groundbreaking work using AI to predict the structure of proteins. The new company, called Isomorphic Laboratories, will leverage that success to build tools that can help identify new pharmaceuticals. DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis will also serve as the CEO for Isomorphic, but the two companies will stay separate and collaborate occasionally, a spokesperson said.
With the advent of computational chemistry, researchers could fire up a system like Daylight and head to lunch. Upon returning, the system could grind through some fancy math and output “candidates.” Better than paper and pencil work.
With the Covid thing, IBM in early 2020 stated that its Watson system (the Jeopardy winner, of course) would use deep generative models to identify drugs which would address the Covid thing. IBM’s public explanation appears in “Using Generative AI to Accelerate Drug Discovery.” How did that work out? I am not sure. There were candidate drugs, but I don’t recall any giant breakthrough. Maybe IBM is keeping its success secret like the value of the Web Fountain system?
Now the Google is in the drug discovery game. One of my researchers dubbed the effort, “the drug invention game.” I find it interesting that the solving death moon shot did not get off the launch pad. The idea is intriguing, but death? See “Google Vs Death”, please.
The new effort will be separate from the Google. My research suggests that the former leader of DeepMind has specific ideas about smart software. Some of those ideas are not in line with the Google approach or the methods crafted at the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. How does one deal with a management challenge?
The answer may be to cut the wizard off from the Google herd. Set up a separate company. Use the reliable me-too approach to innovation. Avoid internecine warfare between two different ideas about applied machine learning.
Will Google be able to make up for the lost momentum since 2013? I don’t know.
Stephen E Arnold, November 5, 2021
Google Realizes Making Big News Is Big Pain
November 5, 2021
Yahoo hired Marissa Meyer as CEO in 2012 to de-semelize, yangize, bartzize, morse-ize, thompsonize, levinshohnize the once coherent portal. One idea she had to reinvigorate Yahoo was to make it a top news authority. She hired the best journalists in the business and subsequently failed. Google is learning that being a news provider is harder than it appears. Search Engine Journal explains Google’s newest media endeavor in the article, “Google Is Developing ‘Big Moments’ Feature For Breaking News.”
Google has a poor reputation for curating news. The search engine giant wants to rectify that problem with a new search feature called “Big Moments.” Google has been working on “Big Moments” for over a year. Big Moments launched after Google’s employees complained about the lack of access to real-time news.
People visit Google to search for news after it happens. For updated news, people turn on the television or visit social media Web sites like Facebook or Twitter. Google wants that traffic, so they are hoping this new endeavor will hook people seeking news:
“Big Moments will provide historical context about events when possible, and go beyond what Google typically shows in search results for news stories. If the story is a natural disaster like a hurricane, for example, Big Moments may list authoritative facts about deaths and injury counts, as well as data about the frequency of hurricanes in the area. Google may pull in information for Big Moments from open source data repositories such as Data Commons, which gathers data from US government agencies and is hosted by Google.”
Big Moments uses machine learning technology that Google developed in 2018. Elizabeth Reid is leading the project.
Google’s Big Moments is moving more towards news editorial content curation. Google relies on algorithms to automate its processes, while news services rely on humans for editorial content. Google cannot add human curators, because it would delay the desired instantaneous response.
Algorithms are getting what appears to be “smarter” and some can even write legible content. However, they still lack human reasoning and ability to respond to changing news with human logic. Humans are still needed in journalism and news curation.
Whitney Grace, October 19, 2021
A Google Tax?
November 3, 2021
I read “Google Takes Up to 42% from Ads, States Say in Antitrust Case.” The article contains one interesting statement:
“More daily transactions are made on AdX than on the NYSE and NASDAQ combined,” a group of 16 states and Puerto Rico said in their complaint, saying they were quoting “Google’s own words.”
How are these transactions and their fees perceived? The article offers a clue:
“Google now uses its immense market power to extract a very high tax of 22 to 42% of the ad dollars otherwise flowing to the countless online publishers and content producers such as online newspapers, cooking websites, and blogs who survive by selling advertisements on their websites and apps,” the states said in the unredacted filing.
I assume that one could make a Latinate sentence like this:
Facebook ripped the social fabric; Google killed traditional advertising.
If I were not tired, I would translate the sentence and see if it would pass the scrutiny of ablative loving Mr. Bushman, my high school Latin teacher.
Nope.
Don’t care about Latin translations, and I don’t care too much about decades late understanding of the Google business model.
Free has a price: No cost and the ability to realize what’s shaking in near real time.
Stephen E Arnold, November 3, 2021
Novara: Why One Has to Buy Google Ads, Comply with Google Rules, and Embrace AMP
November 1, 2021
I read “How a Mistake by YouTube Shows Its Power over Media.” The write up is is sort of accurate. I learned:
Novara [a media outfit, not a province in Italy] had spent years using YouTube to attract more than 170,000 subscribers for its left-leaning coverage of issues like climate change, capitalism and social policy. Suddenly, and without warning, that powerful distribution tool was zapped — leaving people in the newsroom wondering how the organization could survive.
Okay, Alphabet (the outfit which is not to be confused with Google which is not to be confused with YouTube) deleted a content creator.
The New York Times is concerned. Keep in mind. This is the outfit which Google-izes its headlines in order to keep the Google clicks coming.
The New York Times’ story overlooks one key point: When Alphabet, Google, YouTube flexes its censorship muscles there is just one takeaway: If you are not in Google, you don’t exist.
What’s the fix? Buy Google ads.
Example: Novara. Others may be getting the same message. Buy Google ads. My hunch is that Google ad sales professionals and affiliates are delighted with the New York Times’ story because it is a compelling case for locking down a Google pointer.
Stephen E Arnold, November 1, 2021
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