I personally like the JetBrains model where one can pay yearly and get updates but if you have to stop paying due to some reason you can still use the version you originally paid for.
I am not American and don't live there but have American friends. Most of them anecdotally were happy about the op-ed you mention - they probably aren't members of your political tribe. But then they don't subscribe to the NYT anyway.
My point is that the GP is right, this is survival. They tried to be neutral by publishing an op-ed the other side probably liked. Didn't work and therefore it pushes them more into one camp to survive.
Just a guess based on anecdotal information.
My friends and I have this theory that the top management at Google feels they are extremely close to general AI. With acquisitions like this we would hazard the guess that they want to see what data they are missing that could feed that borg and then buy a company that could supply the missing bits. They just have to promise that they won’t use it for ads. But if that AI gets better and better soon they have enormous new opportunities.
Just a theory though.
If you consider communism as far left, then yes the far left has absolutely killed millions. If you do not consider communism far left, I don't know what to tell you.
Too mad to write politely. Because the US is Israel’s bitch the rest of the world must not work with Iran. And because the US hates the ruler of Syria so much it tacitly supported a genuinely Wahhabist terrorist group instead, all other governments must not work with them.
When the petrodollar is over and Americans realize they’re less welcome in most places than the plague, maybe then you’ll elect some sane politicians and leave the world alone.
Thank you for the great and detailed answer. I feel very strongly about using Facebook and since this app would focus on people I am close to, a future FB acquisition would mean more of my info in FB’s hands. I support acquisitions, just that my personal trust matrix has an FB exclusion zone.
To be clear, I am not saying they shouldn’t be acquired - if they get acquired by Twitter/Microsoft/AANG I am totally going to be a supportive user. It is the F word I consider unworthy.
Here's my question off the bat: Facebook is known for using Onavo to find networks that take off and then buying them (I forget names - tbh was it?). I know of course this early in the process you don't know what the future holds, but are you open to acquisition by Facebook? I place a very high value on using the product depending on that answer.
I think idea that this blog post is conveying is overrated. People said the same thing about Microsoft under Ballmer. Then he left. Nadella came in and continued many of the things that he did, and their stock price has soared. For Apple the opposite happened - their profits and stock price have soared, yet Tim Cook can't catch a break. Every little error leads to a chorus of "It wouldn't have been like this if Steve was around". Perception isn't everything.
In my humble opinion, Sundar Pichai must go. Ballmer said it best - "I am a pattern"[0]. I think Pichai has been a great manager but he, from the outside, doesn't seem to be a great leader. If he steps down, the new person gets leeway to change some things and get some social capital.
I am not sure what all this is supposed to enable us as customers or users to do. What I can see is a bunch of ways to avoid human contact including no longer calling people like a real human or not even choosing my own words in an email. But from the perspective of someone who dealt with Google's awful customer service, maybe they could use this in that regard to actually have a voice on the phone even if it isn't human.
Automation is a great thing until you see the human cost. At some point Google is going to have to use its vast capacities to not give people more time, instead give them more opportunities. For e.g. the DeepMind paper showing how to save energy - that was cool.