| This is a very typical response on HN in response to articles/blog posts about issues raised by the Google business. When these sort of comments rise to the top of HN threads, I am at a loss how to interpret the meaning. 1. Does it mean the commenter and HN voters do not care about the issue (e.g., anti-competitive behaviour)? or 2. Does it mean they normally would care about anti-competitive behaviour but because they "like" this particular company they do not care? If the commenter means #2, then it seems like there are some assumptions being made. For example, one assumption might be that if Google is held accountable for anti-competitive behaviour then it will affect the commenter's "web user experience". However, I cannot see how to arrive at that conclusion. In fact, the commenter states "Build better alternatives and I'm on board." What if anti-competitive behaviour was an impediment to others seeking to "[b]uild better alternatives"? If holding Google to account for anti-competitive behaviour would remove such impediments, then it seems that the commenter is more likely to mean #1. The commenter appears to desire the most convenient and quick "service" he/she can get, and is impartial to who provides it. He/she acknowledges that others could build better alternatives to Google. If holding Google accountable for its conduct helps others build better alternatives, this would meet the commenter's needs. Without further clarification from the commenter, I am going to assume that #1 better represents his/her meaning. |