I’m looking at NYT article China Issues Warning to Google’s Partners – NYTimes.com. It looks like the fallout from Google’s decision is starting land. I believe there are going to be a lot more articles like this in the next coming weeks as Google extricates itself from the China market.
I have said on other forums that I do not agree with Google’s decision. I do not believe it was the best moral decision for them to make (and it was a crappy business decision, but that’s another topic). By leaving China, they are running away and ceding the market to Chinese competitors, who will have no problem aligning themselves with the government’s policy. It’s a temporary PR victory… but not something that makes the world a better place. And is that not what “good” people and companies are supposed to do?
Other issues:
I believe this has long-term implications to the development and success of Android. If most low-cost Chinese manufactures (and large ones) strip Google search/branding/services from their own version of Android OS, then eventually Google is going to ask, “what’s the point?” That in itself will not endanger Android… the danger is with OS branch fragmentation if Google does not take leadership.
On a personal note… I and most everyone I know in China have used Google email and other products for years now. This WILL become less reliable in the near future. Sure, at home I can use my VPN. But outside? I’m not saying that it will be unreliable because GFWC blocking Google Search… I’m saying it will get more unreliable because here in China, relationships are needed to ensure reliability. So eventually we in China all go to use competing products which are not as good as Google. And all those companies which provide competing products… they say “how high?” when they are told to jump. How is the greater cause of righteousness served by this?
UPDATE (3-17-2010): Another thing I don’t understand… why do all the news reports act like the pull-out is not certain / was not certain? After Google’s announcement, they either had to pull out or lose massive amounts of Face. Did people actually think this was going to make China change it’s policies? From NYT “The warning was the latest indication that two months of negotiations between Chinese officials and Google over government censorship have reached an impasse, making it more likely that Google will end up shutting down its Chinese search engine. ” What negotiations? What impasse? Google is probably talking to the government to see how they can keep email and other business services from being affected by the China Search pull-out. That’s what the “negotiations” are about. It’s damage control.
I relatively better article about this is on my favorite online magazine Salon, “China Without Google: I Lose-Lose Situation”.
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