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Google Critic Ousted From Think Tank Funded by the Tech Giant (nytimes.com)
An anonymous reader writes: A researcher at a high-profile Washington, D.C.-think tank, which receives funding from Google, was pushed out after criticizing the company. In June, Barry Lynn, who was a scholar at New America, posted a statement praising the European Union's record $2.7 billion fine against the company. Lynn ran a team, Open Markets, that researched competition policy and was increasingly critical of giants like Google and Amazon. Google executive chairman and former CEO Eric Schmidt, criticized Lynn's statement to the think tank's CEO, Anne-Marie Slaughter, according to The New York Times. Schmidt chaired New America until 2016. The think tank has received $21 million from Google and Schmidt's family's foundation since its founding in 1999. The statement reportedly disappeared from the think tank website but returned hours later. According to the Times, word of Schmidt's displeasure spread across the think tank. Slaughter fired Lynn days later, saying in an email obtained by the Times that "the time has come for Open Markets and New America to part ways." Slaughter told Lynn in an email that his firing was "in no way based on the content of your work," but said he was "imperiling the institution as a whole." Lynn told the Times he believed his dismissal was because he criticized Google.
Google: let's be evil.
"the time has come for Open Markets and (New) America to part ways."
Apart from the spelling error (either America or "the New World"), I'd mod this a slow news day...
Nae king! Nae laird! Nae yurrupiean pressedent! We willna be fooled again!
The so called think-tanks are institutions for lobbyism and public opinion manipulation in favor of the funding company. In other word a propaganda machines. Lynn didn't do what he iwas payed to do and got fired. Stop pretending like his job was to be objective in the first place.
sudo rm -r -f --no-preserve-root /
I think it's pretty good marketing for the New America Foundation. This is a fairly inexpensive way to tell the whole world that they'll think whatever they're paid to.
A comma is NOT necessary just because the subject consists of more than one word. Fuckheads.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
He who pays the piper calls the tune.
Pretty mild to get just dumped, if it is just that. No other consequences?
Looking at turkey, someone "thinks" it would be good to get rid of someone, just call him/her a terrorist.
Brave new world....
You want the company that provides funding to part ways with your organization?
At what point when funding goes away does the org cease to exist?
no matter how good it is, it is human nature always wants to make things better
isn't this how markets work?
I feel like there is a distinct failure to recognize the fundamental problems behind the theory of the free market.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
that feeds you. A very old saying. You work at a google sponsored lobby firm, remember who pays your check.
The only way the people at this think tank could retain even an iota of credibility is to disband the think tank and start afresh, or to come clean and admit they advance the causes of their corporate donors. They've done neither and really shot themselves in the foot.
Fast Federal Court and I.T.C. updates
Soon it will be all you can do anyway.
Cloudiot: A person who does not see offsite storage as a way to lose control over access to his or her own data.
It is no surprise that most Think Tanks are located in D.C. They are lobbying organizations. Such BS.
So this was not actually a think tank, this organization was a tax deductible way for Google to shill and lobby for it's policies covertly. This kind of conflict of interest with charitable donations should be scrutinized hard by the federal government. It is likely that Google owes tax on every dollar sent to this institution since they are clearly a Google proxy, and not an independent entity. The think tank should probably also lose any tax benefits it has and be re-categorized as a lobbying organization.
If you disagree, please post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like
Inanimate objects and software can't be good or evil -- but they can be security threats. Android itself is no more or less of a security threat than any other OS -- but the Google apps that usually ship with Android are very definitely a such a threat.
Fortunately, you can have Android without Google. Unfortunately, you have to be either tech-savvy or wealthy to accomplish that.
"the time has come for Open Markets and (New) America to part ways."
Apart from the spelling error (either America or "the New World")...
"New America" is the name of the think-tank.
That sounds like commie talk, mister. The free market has spoken, amen, praise be to The Invisible Hand.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
care to back up your assertions with evidence mister AC?
Think-Alike Tank.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Schmidt is that you. Oh well tough shit for you.
Google isn't interested in diversity of opinion. Group think is what they're all about now.
For those who don't know - think tanks are basically evangelizers, they are hired and paid for government lobbying. Specially if they are located in DC.
It's like having your high level 3rd party marketing team making public statements and celebrating that your company was successfully sued. In their official page, no less.
This isn't even backroom talk, it's basically doing the opposite you were hired for.
Inanimate objects and software can't be good or evil
Land mines and malware would like a word with you.
"the time has come for Open Markets and New America to part ways,”
Really! And only so recently?! I would swear that the "New" America parted ways with "Open Markets" some time back.
Both are extreme security threats.
We're delving into philosophy now, but in my mind "good" and "evil" are matters of intent. Non-sentient things have no intent, and so can't be either. However, they can be used to further good or evil ends.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Guy writes critical article of the main investor of the company, gets fired. News at 11.
"life is a joke, and someone is laughing at me"
Careful what we are saying. Heads keeps rolling everywhere.