Frugal Google.org: How NOT To Save the World On $159,000 a Day
Why is GOOG the envy of Wall Street? Because Schmidt, Brin, Page & Company succeed in perpetuating a myth of the latest, greatest incarnation of the American dream: Googley “pixie dust,” in the words of the Google front man for its newest Google-centric endeavor, Google.org.
Google claims to organize the world’s information and make it more useful. Why then is the head of Google’s supposed philanthropic arm spouting nonsensical “information.”
Larry Brilliant, a medical doctor who took on the role of director of Google.org 18 months ago, said he could not even begin to count how many spending proposals he had seen. “There are 6.5 billion people in the world,” Dr. Brilliant said, “and in the last 18 months I’ve met 6.4 billion, all of whom want, if not some of our money, then some of the Google pixie dust.” (as per The New York Times)
Google cockiness extends to its purported selfless initiatives. What is so noble, though, about a very small funding of projects which support, extend and promote Google’s business model?
Google is a $200 billion market cap corporation. There is NO shock and awe in its balllyhooed Google “philanthropy” announced today, though:
Google.org has committed $75.4 million in grants and investments.
The Googley do-good sum is but a drop in the world’s bucket. What’s more, Google.org is funding Google.com friendly projects, such as “$450,000 multi-year grant to conduct in-depth research into the use of online data sources for disease surveillance.”
How about “$200,000 to support a conference in spring 2008 on federal policy to promote plug-in hybrids”? How about wrapping pet Googler U.S. politcal targets in saving the world bravado.
The bottom Google philanthropy line? Mountain View is NOT very generous:
Google may be one of America’s 10 richest corporations as measured by market value, but its budget for philanthropy is minuscule compared with the $70 billion of the Bill and Melinda gates Foundation. (NYT)
So, there IS one area in which Google does NOT want to beat Microsoft!
Google says Google.org will only doll out “up to” $175 million over three years. Google may be on track to control the world’s information, but it will NOT be able to save it on a $159,000 daily budget.
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