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Ian Hickson

What Ian Hickson thinks about Google

@ian-hickson · 9 positions · On ppll ↗

British software engineer; editor of the HTML specification at the WHATWG and a founder of Flutter, at Opera Software and then at Google from 2005 to 2023.

Ian Hickson did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

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4 dated positions, 2023, in their own words. Our reading of what Ian Hickson has said — not written or endorsed by them.

4 positions so far — this page is not yet offered to search engines.

  1. Our readingPrivacy advocates have often argued against Google proposals in ways that harmed users.

    privacy

    Their wordsI often saw privacy advocates argue against Google proposals in ways that were net harmful to users. Some of these fights have had lasting effects on the world at large; one of the most annoying is the prevalence of pointless cookie warnings we have to wade through today.

    ↗Reflecting on 18 years at Googleln.hixie.ch 1st of 5 in this piece

  3. Our readingGoogle's 2023 layoffs were an unforced error driven by short-term stock-price thinking.

    Their wordsThen Google had layoffs. The layoffs were an unforced error driven by a short-sighted drive to ensure the stock price would keep growing quarter-to-quarter, instead of following Google's erstwhile strategy of prioritising long-term success even if that led to short-term losses (the very essence of "don't be evil").

    ↗Reflecting on 18 years at Googleln.hixie.ch 2nd of 5 in this piece

  5. Our readingGoogle's culture has decayed, and much of it stems from Sundar Pichai's lack of visionary leadership.

    management

    Their wordsMuch of these problems with Google today stem from a lack of visionary leadership from Sundar Pichai, and his clear lack of interest in maintaining the cultural norms of early Google. A symptom of this is the spreading contingent of inept middle management.

    ↗Reflecting on 18 years at Googleln.hixie.ch 4th of 5 in this piece

  7. Our readingOnce a company's culture loses its moral compass, the decline becomes irreversible.

    Their wordsI do think the clock is ticking, though. The deterioration of Google's culture will eventually become irreversible, because the kinds of people whom you need to act as moral compass are the same kinds of people who don't join an organisation without a moral compass.

    ↗Reflecting on 18 years at Googleln.hixie.ch 5th of 5 in this piece