Waving Goodbye: Saying Farewell to Google China
Starting yesterday, the news of Google leaving China spread like wildfire across the entire internet. According to reliable sources, all Google China employees have officially gone on leave starting today, halting all business operations in China. What a tragedy…
Ever since Google was just a young upstart, they have surprised us time and time again, driving the progress of web applications and serving as a model for multiple vertical domains across the internet. Although their localization efforts in China weren’t particularly fast, over the years, they truly allowed Chinese netizens to feel the immense power of global technology.
Perhaps the fate of Google China was already sealed the moment Kai-Fu Lee (开复) departed. Looking back now, Dr. Kai-Fu Lee’s departure must have been wrapped in a lot of unspoken, difficult truths~
After being harassed and trampled on by the authorities (ZF) for so many years, Google finally revealed the real reasons in their official blog post. Indeed, the domestic internet landscape has recently undergone massive shifts. Typically, information is filtered and blocked to ensure that the interests of certain interest groups remain protected. Purely technical tasks have suddenly become bizarre and convoluted. Take the “Green Dam” (绿坝 / lvba) incident, or the CCAV (CCTV) vs. Baidu saga—they all undeniably prove that all kinds of absurd dramas are constantly unfolding in this magical land.
No excuse whatsoever should justify depriving the public of their right to know, yet that is exactly what they have done. Google refused to play along with their dirty games, standing firm on its principles. This level of fundamental ethics is incredibly rare for a commercial company. Just like in personal character, a company like this can never go wrong.
Today, what I admire is no longer just Google’s technology, but also their principles and convictions. I am deeply impressed. I wish Google all the best on their journey ahead—and hey, let’s keep in touch when we can!