Editor’s Note: As my unscheduled summer hiatus dwindles away, I find myself newly motivated to update this blog. Look for more frequent contributions (i.e. way more often than once every three months) in the weeks to come.
For awhile now, I’ve had a bad feeling about Google. Maybe it’s my usual wariness for any large corporate entity. Or, perhaps, I’ve been using the technique Malcolm Gladwell labeled “thin slicing” in his book Blink. After all, one cannot read even a single tech or business-oriented blog without being exposed (ad nauseum, in some cases–Digg, I’m looking at you) to the on-goings at everyone’s favourite search engine.
To this point, I have dismissed this sense of caution as mere paranoia. Google, as we know, is the great anti-corporation of our time. The emphasis on employee productivity through benefits and pet projects instead of fear and intimidation are all the evidence we need of that. Right? Right?!
In the past couple of months, however, the word coming out of Mountain View, CA has sounded more and more like corporate belt-cinching. Preston Gralla, in his article today entitled, “Why Google has lost its mojo — and why you should care”, outlines some of the recent clawbacks on perks in his review of other signifiers of Google’s change. Here, however, are a couple of the indicators:
- In June, Google CEO Eric Schmidt denied the existence of the fabled “evil meter”. Basically, Schmidt backpedaled a bit from previous statements and implied that Google’s mandate not to be the kind of destructive corporate entity like we’ve seen in the past may be as tenuous as any “flavour of the month” belief.
- In July, Google jacked up its rates for on-campus daycare to an amount well above market rate. This alone isn’t an issue (the company can charge whatever it feels is right for such a service), but the way the decision was allegedly made begs the question whether the top echelon is still “in-touch” with its employees.
I’m not trying to bash Google. I just agree with Gralla that we need to keep our eye on the company. We’ve all been lulled into a sense of security about this controller of information and have invited it into our lives virtually unchecked on the grounds of past platitudes. We need to remember that, like any other corporation, Google exists to make money for its shareholders and self-imposed ethics are the easiest to relax when things go a little sour. Google certainly isn’t there yet, but there isn’t anything to stop them from should the need arise. As with everything, we must be vigilant.
Addendum: I just read this article that outlines the latest in Google’s perks clawbacks. Interestingly, though, I’m pretty sure the Google jet is still flying….