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Nicole Ferraro

Google Cuts Jobs, Fights Terrorists

Written by Nicole Ferraro
4/3/2008 6 comments
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In the spirit of not being evil, Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) started a layoff spree yesterday at recently acquired DoubleClick. According to The New York Times, Google will cut 300 employees from DoubleClick's American workforce of 1,200. As for the remaining overseas employees, the Times reports that Google CEO Eric E. Schmidt says they're-a-comin' for you too, so sit tight.

Now. Nobody likes to hear about layoffs, but other recent news suggests we may have to cut Google some slack.

Sure, Google may be laying off scores of unsuspecting, hard-working employees and crushing their wills to live for its own selfish, ad-purveying, money-eating purposes – but give these guys a break. At least they're using some of that aggressive energy to help fight Al Qaida and protect our national security... right?

A recent article on SFGate, entitled "Google has lots to do with intelligence," reported that Google has contracts with some of America's top intelligence agencies – as well as the U.S. Coast Guard – providing internal computer networks for sharing sensitive, secret agent-style data. Additionally, Google licenses Google Earth to agencies and provides servers for Intellipedia – or the Wikipedia of the CIA. (The CIA agent quoted in the story declined to assess the quality of Google's products...)

Some of these government contracts can be highly lucrative: The article cites the National Security Agency as paying over $2 million for four search applications.

"Agencies can use the devices to create their own mini-Googles on intranets made up entirely of government data," says the writer, Verne Kopytoff. (Really. Kopytoff.) You got that? Frosted Mini-Googles. With government data. Three cheers for national security!

So, you nit-pickers you, before you go slandering Google for cutting jobs across the DoubleClick board, take a moment to salute our freedom fighting friends in Mountain View. Google may not be able to create a successful social networking site, or follow through on any viable ideas besides "search" and "making money," or emerge past Web 1.0... but, hey – they sure can secure our nation against terrorism!

In other words... Now we're really screwed.

— Nicole Ferraro, Site Editor, Internet Evolution

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RPR
IQ Crew
Friday April 4, 2008 8:19:46 AM
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Glad you included the link Nicole. Perhaps evolution will include increased Google teaming with companies, governments, pros and public... perhaps they will be proven to be a great help in advancing the usage of software, technology and information for good (e.g., to increasingly help with high purposes to overcome some of the greatest challenges of our time... for a couple related posts see i & ii).

Nicole Ferraro
IQ Crew
Thursday April 3, 2008 9:21:51 PM
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Don't hold your breath for that response from Google, RPR, they only like to read blogs written by their own employees: Google's Exclusive Bloggers Club
RPR
IQ Crew
Thursday April 3, 2008 2:18:16 PM
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The post and Alanh's comment were humorous. A reply from Google may be interesting to read.

Nicole Ferraro
IQ Crew
Thursday April 3, 2008 2:00:33 PM
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Funny Alanh -- that's just what I was thinking.  Imagine the targeted ads!
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When one considers the potential role of social media (and excellent search engine capabilities) in facilitating new approaches to improving the effectiveness of government, at all levels worldwide, increased partnering seems a good idea. 

We strongly believe that a globally cohesive group of IT Pros can change the world simply because successful change management is an inherent character trait of all IT Pros. — Culminis

alanh79
Rank: Web master
Thursday April 3, 2008 1:06:33 PM
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I can imagine being a CIA operative, googling some Top Secret information. When my results appear, off to the right will be something like:

Buy waterboarding and waterboarding books at Amazon.com

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