One of the reasons Google has the best reputation of any company on the globe is that the majority of customers don’t get a bill in the mail for using Google’s terrific products every day. It’s hard to gripe when you aren’t paying for something. And, it’s human nature to think highly of a provider who is feeding you with great stuff.
I’m not sure where you’d go if you had a complaint against Google. Does Google have a 1-800 line or even a physical address?
Since its IPO, Google has stressed a philosophy of making money by doing no evil. Over the years, a few of Google’s online products have concerned me and others. But something about the products all being in cyberspace, didn’t make it feel real or worth much of a second thought. For example, Google is copying all the classic literary works. “Sounds noble.” Or, Google took a photo of my street and every street in metropolitan areas across the country. “How did they have the vision to do that?”
But a break in Google’s halo has come recently – when Google came out of the ether and landed in a fancy neighborhood’s backyard.
There are only three real people I associate with Google. They are its CEO Eric Schmidt as well as its co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Larry Page – who in the minds of many is synonymous with Google — has decided to build a gigantic house in an exclusive neighborhood in Palo Alto. An even-handed article published March 20, 2009 in the Palo Alto Weekly entitled “Google exec plans 6,000-square-foot-home: Larry Page to build eco-friendly house in Old Palo Alto neighborhood” announced his plans to the world.
Suddenly, an ambitious initiative of a “Googler” doesn’t just have theoretical consequences in cyberspace. The character of someone’s physical neighborhood is about to be altered. Construction crews will make noise. Perhaps even the next door neighbor’s property value just went down. This makes neighbors upset.
So what do you do as an opponent of Larry Page’s plans do to save your neighborhood? You attack Larry Page and try to embarrass his company.
• Google, as of late, is at the forefront of thought leadership on the environment with its Clean Energy 2030 initiative as well as products such as a meter that assesses power usage in the home. Suddenly, Larry Page’s detractors can shine a light on his mansion that despite utilizing all the latest environmental technology will still result in a massive carbon footprint, and expose the hypocrisy of being eco-friendly. As one blog post commented “Maybe he’s trying to make enough space to land his eco-friendly 767.”
• Google Maps lets nobody hide. But spread rumors that Larry Page is blurring the image of his own private property, and suddenly, Larry Page’s new home is publicizing how many people do not want to have their private homes photographed and put on display by the likes of Google.
When Google resides entirely in cyberspace, in many respects, it can do no evil. But in the real world – should Google eye more consumer products and other revenue sources that require a physical presence — its reputation may be harder to protect.