Not everyone is shouting 'bravo' to Google. There are some other voices too, pointing at other reasons, some business, some politics. A roundup of the latest developments:
1. The Economist says that Goggle's plan to withdraw from China may be as much about poor business prospects as upholding business ethics. Google's failure to dislodge Baidu from its leadership position is well known. 2. Adding fuel is The Guardian which asks why Google isn't withdrawing from western countries that censor and prosecute websites at will, like Italy and France. It is all business. In these markets, Google enjiys a good position than in China. 3. On the other hand, SeekingAlpha believes Google has 'Played the China Situation Brilliantly' In short, by playing ball with China until it had some real leverage, Google has a much better chance of actually forcing the government to change. And don't forget the real goal here: If Google forces any change at all in China, it will have done more for China's 1+ billion citizens than it would have if it had boycotted the country from the beginning. How will the situation resolve itself? The parties will likely bluster for a while, negotiate, and then reach a compromise. There is no way the Chinese government will completely drop its censorship of Google. And for Google to walk away from $600 million in revenue now, a $10+ billion opportunity long-term, and the ability to exert further pressure will be extraordinarily painful, so the company should be willing to compromise.
5. This is the best theory so far: Google was pushed by the United States government to do what it did Like most big websites, Google provides information to US law enforcement. That is what the Chinese hacked Google also provides cloud computing services to 60% of U.S. Government offices. Also Read: Google vs. China, How Google plans to win |
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