Really Altruism?
tokyogai
4/26/2012 9:39:32 AM
I just wonder how much of this is for the social good and how much is purely brand promotion? These efforts certainly are not at the core of the Google business. Have they tried a code of conduct for their advertisers? Not really- it might hurt business. I laude their efforts, but am cautious about the intent.
No for-profit company does anything for purely altruistic reasons. It would be a disservice to their investors if they did. But I think most reasonable people also understand that corporations have a certain amount of social responsibility.
As investors, where do you see the line? How much "good" do you want the companies you invest in to do? Would you rather see a company donate XX amount of money to rebuild a school in an impoverished area or create something more esoteric like Google Ideas?
I don't expect every company in which I invest to save the world. However, I expect them to leave the communities in which they do business at least as good as they were before they began operations, and, ideally, better than they were. I expect them to become real partners in the community, with respect for the employees, the residents and the environment.
Re: Really Altruism?
Phoenix
4/26/2012 12:53:11 PM
From the point of view of investors and the company any type of good positive publicity is most welcome. This is the type of activity that is sure to generate such publicity. People tend to believe such publicity much more than paid advertisements. And it is improving brand image as well. We are here discussing this venture whereas if google didn't launch it we would be spending our time discussing something else.
Re: Really Altruism?
mInvestor
4/26/2012 6:51:57 PM
I'd say there are multiple factors here. It could do some good for society, it could give Google a chance to experiment some fresh new ideas, it could promote the company, it may turn into a profitable business etc.
I think it's a good idea for Google to try out those new ideas both for Google and for society. Remember Google's PowerMeter? A free servie which retired severaly years ago. Now several other start-ups are trying to build busiesses from that idea. It's also good for society to give people access to real time energy information.
Re: Really Altruism?
chapAnjou
4/30/2012 9:57:00 AM
"No for-profit company does anything for purely altruistic reasons. It would be a disservice to their investors if they did."
@Noreen, what an interesting perspective, the thought that a truly altruistic company would not be a good thing for investors. You really got me thinking about how true that is...I mean, the company would almost come off as a loose cannon in that regard then, wouldn't they?
As an investor, all you want is stability. You want to see the company get better and better, but in a stable fashion. The last thing you need is to have some company suddenly decide that they're going to donate every penny they make to some charity or dissolve so that the board can become sheep herders or something weird like that haha.
yes, there is fine line between being socially responsible and impulsive with shareholder money.
Re: Really Altruism?
driven
5/1/2012 8:40:46 PM
Well, what do we want from public companies? On one hand we say we admire social responsibility but we don't like waste. Are we satisfied if the project is clear and meaningful, but not as enthusiastic if it is vague and hard to describe, like Google Ideas?
Re: Really Altruism?
chapAnjou
4/30/2012 9:49:01 AM
"I just wonder how much of this is for the social good and how much is purely brand promotion?"
@tokyogai, I was about to type pretty much the same thing, haha. I think this is just one of those truly win-win scenarios for google. Funny enough, I don't even think the general population is one of those wins...I think it's all google.
On the one hand, if google actually accomplishes something, then they could say they started this whole thing and they look like gods. On the other hand, if nothing comes out of this, they can still be the ones that tried and this does nothing but show how progressive they are as a company and how they're in the business of making the world a better place.
Long story short, I think it's all brand promotion.
Great post, @Sherri! Google Ideas wasn't on my radar but Jared Cohen was. I had read about him in the Stanford alumni magazine a while back and been SO impressed. Judge for yourselves...
http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2010/mayjun/features/cohen.html
Maybe it's the Stanford "Farm Girl" in me but I love Google. I've had some dealings with Google.org and they've been fantastic. And BOY has Google taken the pressure off of us small donors with it comes to Stanford fundraising!
No business will just "do something" just to be doing it...there is a motive, whether it is ulterior or not...it all boils down to the mighty dollar.
These Google science projects are somewhat interesting but eventually shareholders will tire of them -- after all, still more than 90% of Google's revenue comes from Adwords and paid search advertising.
Re: Must be the money...
chapAnjou
4/30/2012 9:35:37 AM
"These Google science projects are somewhat interesting but eventually shareholders will tire of them -- after all, still more than 90% of Google's revenue comes from Adwords and paid search advertising."
@Scott, isn't that sad? That for all of the good things that google is doing and as much as they've grown as a company, it's still junky internet ads that bring them their money?
Like you said though, eventually shareholders will liken this to nothing more than a pet project and want to move on to something else.
@ChapAnjou
Yes I don't really get it. But Motorola may be the latest science experiment... see my current story on the front page.
"The idea tank has several staffers and is headed by Jared Cohen, who served as a policy wonk in the State Department of the Bush and Obama administrations."
This doesn't make any sense to me. Google Ideas is just a general thinktank or is it (and has been since its inception in Oct. 2010) solely about fighting against extremism?
Ironically, the internet has lead to the spread of extremism...just sayin'
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