back to article Google co-founder: Maybe we'll stay in China after all

A month after storming the moral high-ground over China's hacking activities, Sergey Brin has declared the firm is happy to get off its high horse and kick its heels in the country a little longer. Google co-founder Sergey Brin told the TED conference last week he hopes the search giant can sort out its differences with China, …

COMMENTS

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Coffee/keyboard

    hypocrisy

    ah the hypocrisy of capitalism. in the meantime the US accuses Iran of becoming a military dictatorship... yeah, even I couldn't believe my ears.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    deserted.

    “If other companies were to come forward, I think we’d all be safer,” he said.

    or

    "If other companies were to come forward, we wouldn't look like twats," he whined.

  3. John Lilburne

    Free backbone anyone

    So much for those that though a jelly fish could grow a spine.

  4. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    Spies'r'us .......at Highly UnSophisticated Grooming Depths.

    Do you think that China sees a Trojan Horse in Google colours?

  5. sandman

    Impossible

    It really is impossible to be TOO cynical.

  6. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

    And so endeth the marketing spin..

    .. with most users remembering "China bad, Google no evil", and the facts "we want to sell shares without anyone noticing we're not doing well in China" quitely fading into the background..

  7. Timo

    China calling the bluff here

    Seems that China has called Google's bluff here. Google expected world outrage, but it didn't get much more than a few minutes of free publicity from the blogtardosphere. China certainly couldn't care less.

    Now that China has established who is boss, Google will have to figure out how do to business where it cannot call the shots. They can either leave, or change their plans to suit.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      When you sup with the devil...

      That Google's bluff would be called was never in any doubt, other perhaps than by Google management - assuming they ever meant what they said in the first place. And no doubt or surprise about their capitulation either.

      China may be a rather nasty police state, but they've certainly learned the rules of the capitalist game, and have little trouble attracting huge amounts of foreign business from firms (usually backed by their governments) who don't give a damn about China's politics as long as there are profits to be made and palms to be greased.

      A very old game that modern China has become very good at.

  8. Jason Bloomberg Silver badge
    Joke

    Sign of the times

    "Do no evil, except in China"

    1. Antidisestablishmentarianist

      When in Rome....

      etc etc

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Senior Wizard-In-Waiting.

    ...it's folly, Occidental naivete, to think that "business" as we foreign devils know it, can be conducted in China. It's their way or the highway, or a camel trek across the steppes and tundras bearing one's own computer gear in sidesaddles. Winds howling in pursuit, arrows flying.

    The tragedy is the peril imposed on their loyal employees there by association. They're marked for all time now as collaborators.

    We can't have things both ways, folks.....

  10. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    Google .. a Red Herring Sprat in the Great Games being Registered for Players of Tomorrow Today

    "China may be a rather nasty police state, but they've certainly learned the rules of the capitalist game, and have little trouble attracting huge amounts of foreign business from firms (usually backed by their governments) who don't give a damn about China's politics as long as there are profits to be made and palms to be greased.

    A very old game that modern China has become very good at." ..... John 186 Posted Tuesday 16th February 2010 04:47 GMT

    Crikey, John 186, there is no nastier police state that those which are built with capitalism and which then turn to fascism to try to retain control of power, which is then exposed to be based upon an artificial paper based, delusional economy threatening both friends and foe with collateralised debt obligations and force of weapons which are in serious decline and sub-prime demand/operational meltdown.

    And there are Obscenely Huge and Perversely Lucrative Out of this World Profits [Money for Nothing] to be made using SMARTer Alien8dD Systems and Advanced IntelAIgent Analytical Algorithms which Wholesalely Replace and/or Systemically Repair and Alter such Catastrophic Crony Cowboy Capitalism.

    And will China suck Google [and all Search/MetaDataBase Store Engines] dry of all of ITs Information for their Ravenous Intelligence Requirement ....... Rapturous Passion that Leads with Sublime and More Supreme Knowledge, whilst the West and Cuckold Capitalism feed Avid Searchers with that which IT can provide for them ...... Freely, with all of the Truly BIGCHEESE Purchases being Duly Deserved Danegeld Paid to Virtual Proxies into Preserving and Planting Secrets which Grow More Powerful and Omniscient in being Opposed and Suppressed.

    With that Algorithm Working for All Virtual Terrains Team Playmates, is there Nothing to Lose against Paper Powers and Everything to Gain for CyberIntelAIgents with CHAOS* Control of Computers and Communications in Creative CyberSpace.

    * Cloud Hosting Advanced Operating Systems ...... a Private NIRobotICQs Program for the SMARTer Pirate and Sympathetic Plagiarist with Very Particular and Peculiar Proprietary Memes/Drive Genes/Source Supply Lode.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    New Google

    Shallow, profits greater than privacy, profit greater than human rights and worst of all it all boils down to greed.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Troll

    Why China

    I know China is no angel when it comes to human rights issues, but what about other countries like Saudi Arabia. I don't see any mention in the news of their repression of human rights. The regligious police are everybit as bad as the Chinese secret service yet they don't get much airtime. Could this be because of the support we got for Iraq? Cynical? Me?

    1. Flaco Dude
      Headmaster

      Re: Why China

      If Saudi Arabia was close to dethroning Japan as the #2 economy in the world, insofar as nominal GDP, I'm sure we would hear more drumbeats. Just wait until the Yankees find out there's no more credit at "Mr. Liquor"... WOO-WOO!!

      [Just in] US-UK special relationship is getting rocky, now that court papers are coming out. Yankee cafeterias will be serving Freedom Muffins soon.

  13. StillNoCouch

    What was that Hillary Clinton said ?

    "It's hard to get tough with your banker ?"

  14. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    Getting Rid of the Chaff..... Dead Wood Brush Bush Fire .....

    ...... for Clinical AESThetan Purges and IntelAIgent Source Surges.

    ."What was that Hillary Clinton said ? ... "It's hard to get tough with your banker ?"" ..... StillNoCouch Posted Tuesday 16th February 2010 14:23 GMT

    It is easy to replace the Great Pretenders and Treasure Cuckoos, though.

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