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Google Reported Ready To Leave China April 10

Posted by kdawson on from the so-he-says dept.

A number of readers including tsj5j and bruleriestdenis wrote to alert us to this CNET story: "Google is expected to announce on Monday that it will withdraw from China on April 10, according to a report in a Beijing-based newspaper that cited an unidentified sales associate who works with the company. 'I have received information saying that Google will leave China on April 10, but this information has not at present been confirmed by Google,' the China Business News quoted the agent as saying. The report also said Google would reveal its plans for its China-based staff that day."

10 of 176 comments (clear)

  1. Re:The source is a salesperson by TSchut · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Well, if the salesperson is working in China it would be nice for him/her to know he's losing his job on April 10th.

  2. Re:What does it mean to "leave"? by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 4, Insightful

    But they will be blocked in China. Remember the motto of the Chinese DNS servers: All your search are belong to us.

  3. Re:hmm... by Ryvar · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm a bit worried about workers in China regardless of who they work for.

    --Ryvar

  4. Re:The source is a salesperson by SoopahMan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is at least somewhat irresponsible journalism. I mean, obviously Google needs time to consider first, how to deal with China, and second if it comes to it, how to handle it adequately. They should have the opportunity to plan and deliver the bad news themselves rather than some kneejerk reporter trying to make a name for themselves. Imagine how depressing this must be for Google China employees.

    Screw you, CNet.

  5. Google's No Freedom Fighter by rutabagaman · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Google didn't come to this decision because they found their moral compass all of a sudden--otherwise they wouldn't have agreed to play censor for the government in the first place. Like any corporation they were attracted to China by the money and the audience, but after finding out the government was all too willing to help Baidu and hinder Google they re-evaluated their decision. The cyber attack may have been the breaking point, but it may just as well have been a convenient event for Google to justify their standoff with the government.

    --
    (insert witty/esoteric/dumb quote here)
    1. Re:Google's No Freedom Fighter by Abcd1234 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Google didn't come to this decision because they found their moral compass all of a sudden--otherwise they wouldn't have agreed to play censor for the government in the first place.

      Alternatively, like any individual or group, they may have felt, at the time, that they could do some good by operating in China, and then realized, in retrospect, that that simply wasn't the case.

      But you're right. It makes way more sense to ascribe sinister, greedy motivations to them. No company can possibly make a mistake...

    2. Re:Google's No Freedom Fighter by nedlohs · · Score: 4, Insightful

      He was saying they made a mistake, they thought something would be profitable, but it turns out it wasn't worth the effort.

      There was no sinister greedy motivations ascribed. Just usual business decisions.

    3. Re:Google's No Freedom Fighter by rutabagaman · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It's less about greed on Google's part and more about the usual cost-benefit analysis of doing business with China's repressive government. Google just stayed until the disadvantages outweighed the benefits.

      --
      (insert witty/esoteric/dumb quote here)
  6. Re:What does it mean to "leave"? by Sir_Lewk · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Being physically located in China or not has nothing to do with China blocking them. China could block them if they kept up shop in China, or they could not block them even though they no longer have employees in China.

    By removing themselves physically from China they might risk upsetting China (so that they are blocked) but that is not a certainty, and they ensure the physical safety of their employees.

    --
    "linux is just DOS with a UNIX like syntax" -- Galactic Dominator (944134)
  7. Re:hmm... by CherniyVolk · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Are you also against inter-state trade? Why not? If trade between 2 ppl in different countries is bad (that is what globalization is), why is trade between 2 ppl in 2 different state here is ok?

    Did you not notice you used the word "trade"? Did you not actually "trade" with your friends as a child? Google opening shop in China is in no way "trade", not even similar concept no matter how you look at it.

    How weird it must be, instead of saying "Hey John, I'll trade you my apple for your fruit cup." with "Hey John, let me live with you in your room, under governance of your mom and dad so I can get a fruit cup too. Alice, Bob, Jack and I will form a committee to arbitrate a 'agreement' between us, so you have to let me live in your house with you. Oh, and btw, I don't agree with your posters on the wall, you have to change them from Porsche's to Lamborghini's and that super model chick you have has mutilated her body which is against my principles so we'll have to bring legal action against you and question your compliance to the way I think things should be."