In May 2018, Google faced a series of public resignations and scandals over a secret internal project to supply AI tools to the Pentagon’s drone warfare project; then, in August 2018, scandal hit again with the news that Google was secretly developing a censoring, surveilling Chinese search-tool; then came the news that the company had secretly paid Android founder Andy Rubin $90m to quietly leave the company after credible accusations of sexual abuse and assault.
Continue reading “Deep look at the Googler Uprising, drawing on insider interviews”
Tag: project maven
A deep dive into the internal politics, personalities and social significance of the Googler Uprising
Writing in Fortune, Beth Kowitt gives us a look inside the Googler Uprising, wherein Google staff launched a string of internal reform movements, triggered first by the company’s secret participation in an AI/drone warfare project for the Pentagon, then a secret attempt to build a censored/surveilling search engine for use in China, then the revelation that the company had secretly paid off an exec accused of sexual assault, to tune of $150m.
Continue reading “A deep dive into the internal politics, personalities and social significance of the Googler Uprising”
After retaliation against Googler Uprising organizers, a company-wide memo warns employees they can be fired for accessing “need to know” data
Last year, Google was rocked by a succession of mass uprisings by its staff, who erupted in fury after discovering that the company was secretly pursuing a censored Chinese search tool and an AI project for US drones, and that it had secretly paid Android founder Andy Rubin $150m to quietly leave the company after women who worked for him accused him of sexually assaulting them.
Continue reading “After retaliation against Googler Uprising organizers, a company-wide memo warns employees they can be fired for accessing “need to know” data”
Palmer Luckey wins secretive Pentagon contract to develop AI for drones
Palmer Luckey (previously) the alt-right financier who was made a billionaire by Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to acquire his VR startup Oculus, is now running a Peter-Thiel-backed surveillance startup called Anduril Industries, which has won a contract to contribute to Project Maven, the Pentagon’s controversial AI-for-drones system (Google’s involvement in Project Maven sparked an employee uprising that ended with the relevant executives leaving the company and the contract being allowed to lapse).
Continue reading “Palmer Luckey wins secretive Pentagon contract to develop AI for drones”
Even as Google was making nice during employee walkout, it was secretly asking the Trump administration to ban email labor organizing
Last year, Google was rocked by a string of employee uprisings: first over selling AI tools to the Pentagon for use in drone development; then over the clandestine development of a censored Chinese search-product, the over the revelation that Android founder Andy Rubin was given a $90 million payoff to get rid of him after repeated sexual harassment and sexual assault allegations.
Continue reading “Even as Google was making nice during employee walkout, it was secretly asking the Trump administration to ban email labor organizing”
Exec who oversaw Google’s failed babykiller projects and cozied up to Saudis quits after employee uprising
Diane Greene was the CEO of Google’s cloud business, and it was she who tried to convince Googlers to back her bid to sell AI services to the Pentagon’s drone program, as a warmup for bidding on JEDI, the $10B Pentagon infrastructure project.
Continue reading “Exec who oversaw Google’s failed babykiller projects and cozied up to Saudis quits after employee uprising”
Victory! Google will not bid on $10B Pentagon cloud computing contract
When Google’s engineering staff staged an uprising over the company’s “Project Maven” to supply AI tools for the Pentagon’s secretive drone-based killing program, many observed that the project was just a prelude to bidding on JEDI, the Pentagon’s Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud, a $10B project to supply cloud services to the entire US military.
Continue reading “Victory! Google will not bid on $10B Pentagon cloud computing contract”
Tech workers are downing tools and refusing to work on unethical projects
Tech workers are in demand: companies find it easier to raise cash than to hire engineers; this gives workers enormous bargaining power, and they’re using it.
Continue reading “Tech workers are downing tools and refusing to work on unethical projects”
Developers are worth more to tech companies than cash
Researchers from Stripe surveyed “thousands of C-level executives and developers across five different countries” and found that companies finding hiring qualified developers harder than anything else — even raising cash (“Access to developers is a bigger constraint than access to capital”).
Continue reading “Developers are worth more to tech companies than cash”
Liberaltarianism: Silicon Valley’s emerging ideology of “disruption with economic airbags”
Boing Boing favorite Steven Johnson (previously) has written at length about the emerging politics of “liberaltarianism” in Silicon Valley, which favors extensive government regulation (of all industries save tech), progressive taxation, universal basic income, universal free health care, free university, debt amnesty for students — but no unions and worker acceptance of “volatility, job loss, and replacement by technology.”
Continue reading “Liberaltarianism: Silicon Valley’s emerging ideology of “disruption with economic airbags””