Google was created by two Stanford University students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin as a class project and has grown to a multi – million dollar corporation. Google started as a search engine, but has since grown and diversified and offers email, video sharing, webblogs, online mapping, social networking and office productivity. Googling has become an inherent component of the internet and cyberspace. Although the internet has various search engines, Google is the most popular and returns websites, videos, images and articles. The company motto “Don’t be evil” and the public image that Google has sought portray has made the search engine and other products a trusted internet entity with the online public.
The unique working culture that stresses play along with the casual atmosphere has made Google one of the most sought after employment aspirations for technology and engineering professionals. Google has been voted by Forbes as the number one place to work for the pass two years. The main office is located in Palo Alto California in the heart of Silicon Valley. The office environment is suited for play as well as work. The various recreation rooms contain a variety of video games as well as ping pong tables. Furthermore, different arcade and video games can be found through the office complex. The engineers are encouraged to take twenty percent of their work week and focus on personal projects. The creativity and relaxation that Google promotes in the office has paid dividends. Numerous ideas and ventures have evolved from personal projects.
The rivalry between Google and Microsoft is common knowledge within the high tech world. Microsoft has introduced Bing as an alterative search engine to take some of the market share from Google. Furthermore, Microsoft has linked Bing to several famous Twitters to give it market appeal. On the opposite spectrum, Google is planning on introducing an operating system in 2010 called Google Chrome. Microsoft has dominated the PC market for years with its operating systems. The Chrome operating system will be an open source similar to Linux and will likely be free. Google is currently in negotiations with Hewlett – Packard and other PC manufactures to offer the Chrome system on the Net books that are under 600.00 and should be extremely popular with college students or anyone on a budget.
The diversity of Google and the ability to adapt to a changing environment is a strength that has sustained the company. However that has been concerns that Google is becoming more cooperate and less benign. Furthermore, the issue and concern for the privacy of users because of the embedded search engine cookie that tracks users searches and maintains a record. Google Earth which gives online satellite photos of private residences has been in litigation for invasion of privacy. Google won the case but its image as being trustworthy was tarnished. Any successful company will have admirers and distracters; however, whether a person feels admiration or antagonistic towards Google is irrelevant. The impact of Google on cyberspace and the effect on the internet experience and the way we communicate online is indisputable. Furthermore, the company that began as a project of college students has evolved and grown into a mega – giant and will continue to diversify and effect the world of cyberspace.
http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Google
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google
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