[nostrademons]

I think this may be a Xerox Alto, IBM PC, or Sun Java moment. In the short term I can see a clear benefit to Google for this. They want to get machine-learning into more aspects of the Android mobile experience, Android customers are justifiably paranoid of sending things like every keystroke on the device back to Google's cloud, and so this gives them a privacy-acceptable way to deliver the features that will make them more competitive in a new market. Remember that the vast majority of Google employees honestly want to do what's best for the user, not what preserves Google's monopoly.

[Jedi72]

The vast majority of people in any organisation are good people who want what's best in the sense of the greater good - that does not prevent organisations from doing bad things.

[thr0waway1239]

>> The vast majority of people in any organisation are good people who want what's best in the sense of the greater good

No. The vast majority of people in any organisation are timid folks who want what's best in the sense of the greater good, unless the greater good involves any courage on their part. These people are congenial, but don't confuse those with good people.

[jamesblonde]

I have never heard it put so pithily, nice.

[pooper]

I don't hold the leadership at Google with the same contempt as I hold the leadership at say Verizon, GE, Ford, or News Corp (WSJ). I'm sure given enough time all corporations are categorically evil but Google isn't there yet.

[memmcgee]

Oh god. Has YouTube drama escaped to Hacker News?