Google: Will You Get the Ding You Wanted or a Thunk You Did Not?
August 31, 2026
Another dinobaby post. No AI unless it is an image. This dinobaby is not Grandma Moses, just Grandpa Arnold.
Social media jabber suggests that Meta’s trial is not going too well. Is it possible the Don Quixotes from U.S. have poked a hole in El Zucko’s armor? Maybe. I read “Ex-Google Engineer’s Conviction for Stealing AI Secrets Partially Overturned.” I might be wrong but that report suggests that Google may be dunked into the cold pool.
Thanks, Midjourney. Good enough.
The write up says:
A federal judge on Thursday tossed part of the conviction of former Google software engineer Linwei Ding, who was found guilty earlier ?this year of stealing AI trade secrets from the U.S. tech ?giant to benefit two Chinese companies. U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco ruled there was insufficient evidence Ding intended or knew his conduct would benefit the government of China, a ?requirement to convict him on seven counts of economic espionage. Chhabria said evidence ?supported the guilty verdict on the theft of trade secrets.
As a dinobaby, I believe Google assumed it had a clear win. A Chinese-type person, Chinese-type companies, and a Chinese-type recruitment effort. Bang! Guilty. Google win. Better than Google’s going to court over the future church founder Anthony Levandowski of Waymo, Otto, Uber, and Way of the Future.
But the cited Reuters’ article suggests that Google may not win. What? Google is not getting its way in the courtroom?
Let’s step back.
We have the Meta court losses and a possible zinger in the current litigation over online fancy dancing. Now we have an alleged espionage matter cast into doubt. These US incidents take place against the static BAIT (big AI tech) firms keep getting from the European Union. Outliers like India are getting in the push back action.
Several observations seem to be warranted:
- The “move fast and break things” era seems to be under some pressure. The BAIT lawyers may be first class, but so were some of the passengers on the Titanic. Have the technology shits hit some unexpected objects in the online waters?
- A tech bro named Chamath Palihapitiya wants the BAITs to respond to the citizen-induced rainstorms slowing construction of those whale-loving AI data centers. What? BAITs do what they want, and now a bunch of rag tag people living far from Woodside are preventing a corn field from sprouting racks filled with AI goodness? Incredible, right Mr. Palihapitiya?
- Within the BAIT world itself, signs of stress are showing. One firm wants to set up an international organization to do something about AI. Another AI company is taking investment money from another AI company in order to demonstrate growth. Does that sound familiar Nvidia?
If we look at the Google trial against the Chinese type person, it can be viewed as a problem created by Google’s legal eagles. In the “woulda, coulda, shoulda” meeting after the negative signal Reuters reported, the solution is obvious: Get better lawyers, appeal, and review our allegations and find another way to put the Chinese type under pressure. Will Google do this if its “pressure” throws water on some of the firm’s activities involving Alibaba? I don’t know.
Net net: After decades of doing exactly what big tech wants, these faint signals may be aberrations. On the other hand, maybe these are like flowers in the spring? Hopefully, no thunks.
Stephen E Arnold, August 31, 2026
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