> overall I think Google's impact on the world is strongly positive.

I think the exact opposite, which is why I've went to great lengths in an attempt to de-google my life, but google still forces itself on me through stuff like recaptcha.

Maybe google once had a positive impact once, but not anymore. Now google just kills products, forces tracking on people who don't even use google themselves and pushes adverts in front of us, while de-monitizing Youtubers and pushing its political/social justice agendas.

The fact that you and your coworkers don't see the problem just highlights what the people up-thread were saying and is the big part of the problem.

> Google's impact on the world is strongly positive.

I couldn't disagree more. Google doesn't make bazillions of dollars because they provide us with live traffic on maps. Google has significantly enabled and actively driven the mindless consume-everything-all-the-time culture with all the horrible consequences for our mental-health and the environment.

The world would be a much better place without the ones like Google, Facebook and Amazon.

> It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.

Upton Sinclair

I work at Google because they pay me money that I can donate [1] and I wouldn't work here if I thought that was making the world worse. [2] I left Google in 2017 to work for a startup I thought was more positive than earning to give [3] and then I rejoined later that year after the startup didn't pan out. [4] I'm open to arguments that I should be doing something else with my time!

[1] https://jefftk.com/donations

[2] https://jefftk.com/p/value-of-working-in-ads

[3] https://jefftk.com/p/leaving-google-joining-wave

[4] https://jefftk.com/p/rejoining-google