Silicon Valley Management Crises Escalate
May 10, 2019
Early in my career I worked at Booz, Allen & Hamilton. There was lots of chatter about management from the MBAs. I listened, and I learned that management was a slippery fish.
Now the engineers, mathematicians, and scientists who are in charge of a couple of successful Silicon Valley firms are dealing with slippery fish, and some of these creatures are poisonous.
Let’s look at two examples.
The first appears in “Google Employees Ask Alphabet CEO to Address Walkout.” The idea is that employees are not happy, and they want to make this clear to colleagues and the real journalists who pay attention to real news. I learned:
The plea for Page’s involvement comes after months of worker protests against the mishandling of sexual harassment incidents, along with retaliation against those who report it, including the demotion and modifications of roles that female employees who reported harassment held.
Google denies retaliation, and some of the world’s smartest people employed by the online advertising firm are unhappy.
Unhappy employees means trouble with a capital T. There may be a Meredith Wilson opportunity here.
The second has been captured in statements from Chris Hughes, one of the “founders” of Facebook. This Facebooker has been on talking head TV, but the article “Facebook Co-Founder Chris Hughes: It’s Time to Break Up Facebook” does a good job of recycling the opinion piece Mr. Hughes crafted for the New York Times. I noted:
Hughes says that Zuckerberg has “unchecked power” and influence “far beyond that of anyone else in the private sector or in government.”
Okay, a founder and “friend” of Facebook is criticizing the company. The fix is painful because breaking up is hard to do.
Okay, two examples.
The Google problem is a revolt from within. The Facebook problem is a revolt of the insiders.
Neither Google nor Facebook is handling the management challenges in a smooth, friction free way.
Maybe it is time to call in the MBAs along with lots of lawyers to help with this Iron Man events? The high school science club is just not working. Sure, the money is still flowing, but like a gurgling Mauna Loa, further events are inevitable. Foosballl and colorful mouse pads won’t do the job. And algorithms? Nope.
Stephen E Arnold, May 10, 2019
Alphabet and Its Privacy Push or Alphabet Can Spell Me Too
May 8, 2019
The Seattle Times wrote about Google’s privacy push. “Google’s Privacy Promises Don’t Sway Many Experts” includes a number of interesting quotes from the experts. Here’s an example of one that seems close to the mark:
“They’re sort of marginal improvements,” said Jeremy Tillman, president of Ghostery, which provides ad-blocking and anti-tracking software. “They are not bad, but they almost seem like they’re designed to give the company a better messaging push instead of making wholesale improvements to user privacy.”
Like Facebook, privacy is the in thing.
Stephen E Arnold, May 8, 2019
Google Goes Adulting with Internet Explorer and Some High School Science Club Magic
May 4, 2019
Ah, the high school science club. The motto, “We do what we want because we’re smarter and can” is alive and well. If you want some insight into how business processes, tactics, and smart people work, you don’t have far to seek.
The most recent example, which I assume is true because everything on the Internet is accurate, may be explained in “A Conspiracy to Kill IE6.” The main idea is that the GOOG wanted to make sure that it would have a clear path to browser fame. One hurdle was the fact that Windows contained a browser. The problem? How to make this “advantage” go away. The fix? Take steps to create FUD, the old IBM standby.
According to the write up:
IE6 had been the bane of our [Google’s] web development team’s existence.
The fix:
We would put a small banner above the video player that would only show up for IE6 users. It would read “We will be phasing out support for your browser soon. Please upgrade to one of these more modern browsers.” Next to the text would be links to the current versions of the major browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, IE8 and eventually, Opera. The text was intentionally vague and the timeline left completely undefined.
The result:
And the lesson:
We somehow got away with our plan to kill IE6 without facing any meaningful corrective action. Few people even knew we were involved at all and those that did, did not want to bring attention to it or risk encouraging similar behavior. At a beer garden in San Francisco, our boss, winking his hardest, made us swear to never do anything like this again. We agreed, toasted IE6 falling into single digit percentages, and never snuck anything into production again.
I believe everything I read on the Internet. Toasted that. And why not set your moral compass the high school science club management way?
Stephen E Arnold, May 4, 2019
To Get Along, Go Along: Google and China
May 3, 2019
Just whose side are they on? The one which promises some revenue and a hedge against the Bezos bulldozer.
It looks like Google is caving to Chinese regulators, who have insisted internet platforms operating within China cooperate with efforts to control what information citizens can access. The Financial Times reports, “Google Blocks China Adverts for Sites that Help Bypass Censorship.” Though Google had sold advertisements for anti-censorship software within that country for over two years, we’re told it suddenly stopped accepting such business after China’s market regulator made its recent demand. Reporter Yuan Yang writes:
“Foreign businesses and visitors to China, as well as local citizens, rely on VPNs to access the global internet, including platforms such as Google and Facebook, which are blocked by China’s ‘Great Firewall’ of internet controls. Google runs adverts on third-party websites in China. … “Charlie Smith of GreatFire, a censorship monitoring organization, criticized Google’s blunt action in relation to VPNMentor and Top10VPN as being too broad. He said: ‘There are legally registered VPNs operating in China, so either Google has not kept up to date with local regulations or they are overstepping their boundaries.’ David Kaye, the UN special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, said that Google’s move ‘deprived [Chinese users] of the choice to find uncensored material’. ‘If Google is in the business of expanding access to information, why do they not conceive of their business in those terms in China?’ he asked.”
Readers may recall that, in 2010, Google shuttered its China search engine, stating it would not comply with the country’s censorship demands. Some suggest this recent move means the company is trying to get back into China’s good graces. For its part, Google insists it has no plans to re-launch Search in China, but is simply complying with local laws. However, we’re told, the laws are not so simple, and if these advertisements do run afoul of them, then Google has been out of compliance for years. Why is it so cooperative now? That’s a question a Department of Defense professional may want to ask.
Cynthia Murrell, May 3, 2019
Google: Management First, Then AI?
May 2, 2019
Uh-oh, these outside boards are not working for the Google. We learn another has fallen from Engadget’s piece, “Google Reportedly Disbands Review Panel Monitoring DeepMind Health AI.” This move follows news that, earlier in April, Google scrapped its Advanced Technology External Advisory Council. Apparently, certain members of that council were problematic choices. Writer Christine Fisher tells us:
“Now, Google is disbanding a UK-based panel that’s been reviewing some of its AI work in healthcare, reports The Wall Street Journal. This board came together in 2016, when DeepMind — a British AI company acquired by Google in 2014 — launched a healthcare unit called DeepMind Health. The board was meant to review the company’s work with the UK’s publicly funded health service. But panel members reportedly questioned their access to information, the power of their recommendations and whether DeepMind could remain independent from Google. Last year, Google talked about restructuring the group, but instead it appears it will do away with it altogether.”
As Fisher notes, these failures are poorly timed for Google, as the whole industry faces consternation around the ethical use of AI technologies like DeepMind’s. At least something will come of this—on its way out, the disbanded panel will publish a report about what it had learned so far.
Perhaps Google should ask IBM Watson what to do? The Google developed AI seems to be unable to deal with ethics, staff management, and financial management.
Cynthia Murrell, May 2, 2019
The Google: Just One Example of a Misfire
April 30, 2019
Forget the financial reports for the online ad giant. Sure, the negative reaction may be indicative of Red Bull-fueled MBAs, but the GOOG isn’t going anywhere different or fast. There are signs of trouble in Sillycon Valley in general and at Google in particular. You don’t need me to remind you that the moon shots are still on the launch pads. The management methods are not humming smoothly. The warm and fuzzy love seems to be dissipating, replaced with talk of regulations, fines, and maybe, just maybe jail time for certain behaviors.
I want to highlight one example of the internal processes at the GOOG which may be beep beep beeps of a sensor designed to send a warning to some 23 year old manager. Navigate to “Google Teases a Cheaper Pixel Phone Launch and Confirms Pricey Pixels Still Don’t Sell Very Well.” Here’s the passage I found thought provoking:
We have Google confirming that it’s been having a tough time selling expensive Pixel 3 handsets in the past quarter.
The faithful, it seems, aren’t particularly faithful. The behavior mimics the actions of a certain senior Googler and a marketing professional. The result was difficult for the marketing professional. Now the casual approach of the high school science club is producing mobile phones which deliver unappetizing consequences.
I noted this statement:
Thanks to Google’s just-released earnings report for the first quarter of the year, we now know that Pixel sales during the March 2019 quarter were even weaker than the same period last year.
Then this:
Google CEO Sundar Pichai was “hammered” during a different part of the call about the company’s poor Pixel performance.
That’s enough. You get the idea.
I want to point out that the Google is misfiring. Just try to look at older email on the Gmail system. Nifty interface, eh. What about the YouTube function that does not allow a new video to be uploaded because it is already on the system. That’s a clever trick because the video is not yet on the system. And possible ad fraud? Maybe 30 percent of clicks come from bots? And those employees alleging that the company has taken steps to punish them for speaking out about certain company policies?
The numbers add to the woes of the phone unit, the staff management challenge, and the regulatory hammer being lifted over the head of the Googlers.
Yep, the phones are not selling as hoped and, of course, the Android OS is not fragmented.
Stephen E Arnold, April 30, 2019
Alphabet Spells Management Challenge
April 27, 2019
The Bloomberg outfit published allegedly accurate information about Google’s interesting approach to management. “Google Staffers Share Stories of ‘Systemic’ Retaliation” reports that there is a disagreement about how to run the online advertising railroad.
Was management responsible for this train wreck? Perhaps the employees were at fault. Were the staff on the train punished?
Whoo, whoo, whoo. That’s the laboring engine sound one can hear in train stations in places like Patna Station or Bayshore when one stands near the tracks.
The sounds from the Google, according to Bloomberg:
On Monday [April 22, 2019], two of those organizers, Meredith Whittaker and Claire Stapleton, wrote an email saying Google had punished them because of their activism. The two asked staffers to join them on Friday to discuss the company’s alleged actions, and during the meeting they shared more than a dozen other stories of internal retribution that they had collected over the past week. Like many meetings at Google, participants could watch via a video live-stream and submit questions and comments.
Chug, chug, chug. The Guardian newspaper sounds its whistle too.
The little engine that could continues to pull the freight for Alphabet Google senior managers. Bloomberg pointed out:
Google management publicly endorsed the employee walkout in the fall, giving the blessing for staff to vent frustration. But as dissent continued to rise inside Google, the company’s lawyers urged the U.S. government to give companies more leeway to reign in rebellious employees from organizing over workplace email. Google made that filing in a case pending before the National Labor Relations Board involving alleged retaliatory discipline against an employee. Another complaint involving alleged retaliation against staff was filed with the agency this week.
I think I hear the Alphabet Google Express announcement: “Unhappy passengers may debark at the next stop. Termination Junction. Next stop, Termination Junction.”
On one hand, a person who takes money to get a job, benefits, access to Foosball tables, and a Google mouse pad has an obligation to perform work. The idea is that the employer employs, and the employee does what he or she is told to do.
On the other hand, a person who does not like the work should do what? Quit? Protest? Talk with reporters from Bloomberg? Look for another job? Undermine software that sort of works?
What’s interesting to me is that the Alphabet Google train itself may come off the rails due to management missteps. I term the approach of some Silicon Valley high technology companies as the HSSCMM or High School Science Club Management Method. Sometimes its works and sometimes it appears to not work as the club members expect. What’s up with that?
Train wrecks just happen. Often with little warning. But in this case it looks to me as if one or two cracks in the drive train have appeared.
Stephen E Arnold, April 27, 2019
Google: Travel Planning
April 22, 2019
Google wants to become the one stop shop for most information needs which generate advertising revenue. Google can already track flight information, has an incredibly accurate map system, and can track down hotel and tourist sight locations. Google now wants to help people book their travel plans and earn profit from the travel industry. PYMNTS shares the news about Google’s new travel endeavors in the article, “Google Debuts Travel Bookings Feature.” Google’s new endeavor is a travel insight tool.
Google’s new travel insight tool helps people decide where to visit for vacation, including information on trending vacation destinations. Other new features include a Google Flights that allows users to search for travel destinations based on budget. At first glance, Google Flights appears to be another flight search engine like Priceline, Travelocity, Expedia, and Orbitz. Google Flights is more intuitive than a regular travel tool and offers more interaction along with price comparisons:
“Google enables users to explore the world map on Google Flights to see where you can fly on the cheap. If you live in, say, San Francisco and want to spend under $150 on flight, you search by setting a price limit and seeing only the destinations that will be in your price range to fly. For users who have decided on where they want to travel and are starting to search for flights, Google will provide price insight for most trips, which was previously only available for holiday dates. It shows whether the price of the flight is high, typical or cheap compared to what the airline typically charges. Google will also alert you if the price won’t decline more or if it will increase soon.”
And hotels? Why not? Using the new “Deals” feature, users can search and find hotels that offer cheaper rates for a specific hotel or area. Hotel review pages have also expanded with machine learning to include more photos and reviews.
Google Flights is an interesting intuitive tool, especially for the budget traveler. Other travel Web sites offer the same service, but you have to scour to find the deals and conduct numerous searches at once. Google makes it easy for advertisers? For users? Not an issue.
Whitney Grace, April 23, 2019
Google: SEO Like a True Google Human Actor
April 18, 2019
We know Google’s search algorithm comprehends text, at least enough to produce relevant search results (though, alas, apparently not enough to detect improper comments in kiddie videos on YouTube). The mechanisms, though, remain murky. Yoast ponders, “How Does Google Understand Text?” Writer Jesse van de Hulsbeek observes Google keeps the particulars close to the vest, but points to some clues, like patents Google has filed. “Word embeddings,” or assessing closely related words, and related entities are two examples. Writing for his SEO audience, van de Hulsbeek advises:
If Google understands context in some way or another, it’s likely to assess and judge context as well. The better your copy matches Google’s notion of the context, the better its chances. So thin copy with limited scope is going to be at a disadvantage. You’ll need to cover your topics exhaustively. And on a larger scale, covering related concepts and presenting a full body of work on your site will reinforce your authority on the topic you specialize in.
We also noted:
Easier texts which clearly reflect relationships between concepts don’t just benefit your readers, they help Google as well. Difficult, inconsistent and poorly structured writing is more difficult to understand for both humans and machines. You can help the search engine understand your texts by focusing on: Good readability (that is to say, making your text as easy-to-read as possible without compromising your message)…Good structure (that is to say, adding clear subheadings and transitions)…Good context (that is to say, adding clear explanations that show how what you’re saying relates to what is already known about a topic).
The article does point out that including key phrases is still important. Google is trying to be more like a human reader, we’re reminded, so text that is good for the humans is good for the SEO ranking. Relevance? Not so much.
Cynthia Murrell, April 18, 2019
Phishers Experience Some Tiny Google Pushback
April 17, 2019
Hiding urls is a phisher’s best friend. Google wants to eliminate those pesky urls. The problem is that spoofing a Web site is easier when the GOOG simplifies life. There’s nothing like a PDF with malware to make one’s day.
If the information in “Google Takes a Tiny Step Toward Fixing AMP’s URL Problem” is accurate, the Google may be pushing back against the opportunities bad actors have to deceive a Web user. The write up does describe Google’s action as “tiny” and “tiny” may be miniscule. I learned:
When you click a link on your phone with a little lightning bolt next to it in Google search, you’re getting something in the AMP format. AMP stands for “Accelerated Mobile Pages,” and you’ve probably noticed that those pages load super quickly and usually look much simpler than regular webpages. You may have also noticed that the URL at the top of your browser started with “www.google.com/somethingorother” instead of with the webpage you thought you were visiting.
Yeah, about that “quickly.” Maybe not.
Phishers will be studying this alleged “tiny” change. Why? Phishing and spear phishing are one of the methods which are bring Dark Web type excitement to users of the good, old-fashioned Web. There are six or seven additional examples of metastatic technology in my keynote at the TechnoSecurity & Digital Forensics Conference in June 2019.
“Tiny”. Yep. And what about the “speed” of AMP pages?
Stephen E Arnold, April 17, 2019
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