5 ms·

Google announces support for Ukraine by giving $2M in Adwords credit

89 points by forcer 5y ago

Ask your friends at Google to explain this joke donation of Adwords credit: https://www.androidcentral.com/google-response-ukraine-invasion Ukraine needs real support not using this crisis to push your product! If you want to make a statement switch off Google services in Russia. That is how revolutions are started! Google makes less than %0.3 of their total revenue in Russia. Surely that is worth a sacrifice to end this unfair war and tell Russia they cannot invade their neighbors!

CPLX 5y ago
It’s the least they could do.
- techdragon 5y ago
  The least they could do was nothing… this is just a little better than that. This isn’t 2 million of useful cash money, it’s -2 million of revenue. It sort of feels “cheap” to me. And I’m wondering how senior the management chain has to be to approve something this large? Are we talking C suite? Or like Vice President of AdWords European business marketing division ?
  - burntoutfire 5y ago
    Any decision with political ramifications surely needs to go through the highest echelons.
    - morelisp 5y ago
      "Good" news, this is unlikely to have any political ramifications.
  - klyrs 5y ago
    More cynically, it's a $2M thumb on the scale of an auction, and if somebody wants to outbid the relevant keywords, that's pure profit.
thiscatis 5y ago
What a sad excuse of a company Google has become.
stonekyx 5y ago
Ten years ago I was trying to get a job in Google as hard as I could, but these years there are just less and less reasons to even consider applying. I mean, OK, their business model is built around advertisement, but seriously?
inospeak1 5y ago
I don't see any reference to this on the internet other than this post. The link posted -> https://www.androidcentral.com/google-response-ukraine-invasion https://www.androidcentral.com/google-response-ukraine-invas... says nothing about Adwords credit. And I am surprised none of the commenters so far have noticed this...?
- 1-6 5y ago
  Twitter posts are sometimes segmented, here’s better context for reference (when started from the top): https://twitter.com/googleeurope/status/1497312445303513094?s=21 https://twitter.com/googleeurope/status/1497312445303513094?...
- soulchild37 5y ago
  https://twitter.com/googleeurope/status/1497312501020696578?s=20&t=rUKNxLzx6mz4OWNIY_vkMg https://twitter.com/googleeurope/status/1497312501020696578?...
  - inospeak1 5y ago
    Thanks! Had to give google the benefit of the doubt (even though I don't like them) because this sounded absurd.
Pigalowda 5y ago
A pittance from a gigantic American corporation. I’m sure Ukraine appreciates this advertisement for Google. I guess it’s hard to advertise over all the “noise” of geopolitical events unless you attach your product to it.
RicCo386 5y ago
Ha ha ha. If they would suspend Russian trolls, that would be more worthy... And yet they suspend pro Ukrainian YT accounts ... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30467384 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30467384
PenguinCoder 5y ago
Is this a legitimate, poorly executed joke? Or a legitimate offer from Google. Fucking disgusting.
endisneigh 5y ago
No good deed goes unpunished
sergiotapia 5y ago
Such a Gavin Belson and Hooli move.
yrgulation 5y ago
Pull out of russia google otherwise its just virtue signalling.
morelisp 5y ago
So let's be clear about what "donated adwords" means: It means if someone searches for "ukraine refugee help" they're going to get useful results about how to find help as a Ukrainian refugee or give aid to them; rather than a scam, Russian propaganda, or just whoever bid highest. That should be table stakes of a search engine, not a laudable charitable donation.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
thunkshift1 5y ago
The fuck
aeternum 5y ago
Remember when Google's motto was "Do no evil". Did they get rid of that?
- IYasha 5y ago
  It was "Don't be evil" - and, yes, they've removed it :D
SkyLinx 5y ago
$2M total? That's literally pennies for them. LOL
IYasha 5y ago
Where were they when <I'd probably be redflagged for naming> certain mid-east countries were attacked?? :-| Such a show-off.
infinitone 5y ago
This HAS to be a joke right?

89 points by forcer 5y ago

CPLX 5y ago

It’s the least they could do.

techdragon 5y ago
The least they could do was nothing… this is just a little better than that. This isn’t 2 million of useful cash money, it’s -2 million of revenue. It sort of feels “cheap” to me. And I’m wondering how senior the management chain has to be to approve something this large? Are we talking C suite? Or like Vice President of AdWords European business marketing division ?
- burntoutfire 5y ago
  Any decision with political ramifications surely needs to go through the highest echelons.
  - morelisp 5y ago
    "Good" news, this is unlikely to have any political ramifications.
- klyrs 5y ago
  More cynically, it's a $2M thumb on the scale of an auction, and if somebody wants to outbid the relevant keywords, that's pure profit.

thiscatis 5y ago

What a sad excuse of a company Google has become.

stonekyx 5y ago

Ten years ago I was trying to get a job in Google as hard as I could, but these years there are just less and less reasons to even consider applying. I mean, OK, their business model is built around advertisement, but seriously?

inospeak1 5y ago

I don't see any reference to this on the internet other than this post. The link posted -> https://www.androidcentral.com/google-response-ukraine-invasion https://www.androidcentral.com/google-response-ukraine-invas... says nothing about Adwords credit. And I am surprised none of the commenters so far have noticed this...?

1-6 5y ago
Twitter posts are sometimes segmented, here’s better context for reference (when started from the top): https://twitter.com/googleeurope/status/1497312445303513094?s=21 https://twitter.com/googleeurope/status/1497312445303513094?...
soulchild37 5y ago
https://twitter.com/googleeurope/status/1497312501020696578?s=20&t=rUKNxLzx6mz4OWNIY_vkMg https://twitter.com/googleeurope/status/1497312501020696578?...
- inospeak1 5y ago
  Thanks! Had to give google the benefit of the doubt (even though I don't like them) because this sounded absurd.

Pigalowda 5y ago

A pittance from a gigantic American corporation. I’m sure Ukraine appreciates this advertisement for Google. I guess it’s hard to advertise over all the “noise” of geopolitical events unless you attach your product to it.

RicCo386 5y ago

Ha ha ha. If they would suspend Russian trolls, that would be more worthy... And yet they suspend pro Ukrainian YT accounts ... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30467384 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30467384

PenguinCoder 5y ago

Is this a legitimate, poorly executed joke? Or a legitimate offer from Google. Fucking disgusting.

endisneigh 5y ago

No good deed goes unpunished

sergiotapia 5y ago

Such a Gavin Belson and Hooli move.

yrgulation 5y ago

Pull out of russia google otherwise its just virtue signalling.

morelisp 5y ago

So let's be clear about what "donated adwords" means: It means if someone searches for "ukraine refugee help" they're going to get useful results about how to find help as a Ukrainian refugee or give aid to them; rather than a scam, Russian propaganda, or just whoever bid highest. That should be table stakes of a search engine, not a laudable charitable donation.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

thunkshift1 5y ago

The fuck

aeternum 5y ago

Remember when Google's motto was "Do no evil". Did they get rid of that?

IYasha 5y ago
It was "Don't be evil" - and, yes, they've removed it :D

SkyLinx 5y ago

$2M total? That's literally pennies for them. LOL

IYasha 5y ago

Where were they when <I'd probably be redflagged for naming> certain mid-east countries were attacked?? :-| Such a show-off.

infinitone 5y ago

This HAS to be a joke right?