[majewsky]

> I've seen [harsh criticism] several times recently (ranging from this to the V language stuff).

It's probably not a good idea to put yourself on one level with a scammer.

Seriously though, any effort made by Google will of course be scrutinized much more vigorously than the same effort made by a smaller org or a single person. If I decide to build my own libc, no one will care because they probably don't need to care. But big companies like Google have the power and inertia to just shove decisions in people's faces. I think for most people here, a large part of the dayjob is spent dealin with and working around the stupid decisions of third-party hardware/software vendors.

[gorio]

There are also many example of Google doing just that to various degrees when it comes to open source projects, security research, their own products, dealing with vendors, customers or employment among other things. This of course isn't something unique to Google. What is unique however is their position.

They are probably the most powerful company when it comes computers, software and the Internet. They have the culture, means and goodwill to do a lot more damage than almost anyone else. I am sure that is at part of why people want to work for Google. Not to do damage of course, but because you can make a difference. Unfortunately making a difference for Google frequently isn't the best for rest of us.