2024-04-24 - The Man Who Killed Google Search - Omnivore

# The Man Who Killed Google Search #Omnivore ## Colophon title:: The Man Who Killed Google Search type:: [[clipped-note]] tags:: [[&omnivore]] url:: https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-men-who-killed-google/ archive:: https://omnivore.app/me/the-man-who-killed-google-search-18f10cead7a date:: [[2024-04-24]] ## Highlights tags:: > A “code yellow” isn’t, as you might think, a crisis of moderate severity. The yellow, according to Steven Levy’s tell-all book about Google, refers to — and I promise that I’m not making this up — the [color of a tank top that former VP of Engineering Wayne Rosing used to wear during his time at the company](https://markcarrigan.net/2016/01/10/googles-war-against-latency/?ref=wheresyoured.at). It’s essentially the equivalent of DEFCON 1 and activates [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/the-man-who-killed-google-search-18f10cead7a#49c5ac6e-f43c-439e-aca9-953406adc225) ^49c5ac6e 🤦‍♂️ tags:: > More confusingly, one of the problems was that there was insufficient growth in “queries,” as in the amount of things people were asking Google. It’s a bit like if Ford decided that things were going poorly because drivers weren’t putting enough miles on their trucks. [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/the-man-who-killed-google-search-18f10cead7a#59114e79-c3eb-4c27-8d78-7af62a78f7ae) ^59114e79 Not entirely sure about this analogy tags:: > A few months later in May 2019, [Google would roll out a redesign of how ads are shown on the platform](https://searchengineland.com/search-ad-labeling-history-google-bing-254332?ref=wheresyoured.at) on Google’s mobile search, replacing the bright green “ad” label and URL color on ads with a tiny little bolded black note that said “ad,” with the link looking otherwise identical to a regular search link. I guess that's how it started hitting their numbers following the code yellow. [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/the-man-who-killed-google-search-18f10cead7a#f4d6b539-2560-43cf-843b-598a7695b677) ^f4d6b539 tags:: > McKinsey — arguably the most morally abhorrent company that has ever existed, having played roles both in the 2008 financial crisis (where it [encouraged banks to load up on debt and flawed mortgage-backed securities](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/mckinsey-how-does-it-always-get-away-with-it-9113484.html?ref=wheresyoured.at)) and the ongoing opioid crisis, where it effectively [advised Purdue Pharma on how to “growth hack” sales of Oxycontin](https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/taking-action/ag-shapiro-puts-a-stop-to-mckinseys-proliferation-of-the-opioid-crisis/?ref=wheresyoured.at). McKinsey has paid nearly $1bn over several settlements due to its work with Purdue. I’m getting sidetracked, but one last point. McKinsey is actively anti-labor. When a company brings in a McKinsey consultant, they’re often there to advise on how to “cut costs,” which [inevitably means layoffs and outsourcing](http://rchive/2020/02/how-mckinsey-destroyed-middle-class/605878/?ref=wheresyoured.at). McKinsey is to the middle class what flesh-eating bacteria is to healthy tissue. [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/the-man-who-killed-google-search-18f10cead7a#fc79ee50-4e06-49dc-a53a-d016a5f423b6) ^fc79ee50 Zitron really doesn’t like McKinsey tags:: > Rot Economy — the illogical, product-destroying mindset that turns the products you love into torturous, frustrating quasi-tools that require you to fight the company’s intentions to get the service you want. [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/the-man-who-killed-google-search-18f10cead7a#958629b3-6a61-4b7c-a1d8-afd7010aab62) ^958629b3 tags:: > As I’ve argued previously, we — with good reason — continually complain about the state of Twitter under Elon Musk, but I’d argue Raghavan (and, by extension, Google CEO Sundar Pichai) deserve as much criticism, if not more, for the damage they’ve done to society. Because Google is the ultimate essential piece of online infrastructure, just like power lines and water mains are in the physical realm. [⤴️](https://omnivore.app/me/the-man-who-killed-google-search-18f10cead7a#43c54f29-0a04-4502-a858-386f61a88b23) ^43c54f29 [Read on Omnivore](https://omnivore.app/me/the-man-who-killed-google-search-18f10cead7a) [Read Original](https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-men-who-killed-google/)