<story><title>Google, in Post-Obama Era, Aggressively Woos Republicans</title><url>https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/technology/google-in-post-obama-era-aggressively-woos-republicans.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=a-lede-package-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>alphonsegaston</author><text>I&amp;#x27;m not optimistic, but I hope that the Trump era finally puts an end to the illusions people had about tech giants as a vehicle for social progress. We&amp;#x27;re stepping into an era of extreme inequality, authoritarianism, and intolerance, all borne on the back of their rise. They may not be the origin of these trends, but they certainly rode them to tremendous wealth without anything besides the most superficial concerns for their social consequences.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>twblalock</author><text>&amp;gt; I&amp;#x27;m not optimistic, but I hope that the Trump era finally puts an end to the illusions people had about tech giants as a vehicle for social progress.&lt;p&gt;I hope so too. Even if corporations really were sincerely pursuing social progress, that would be bad. In a democratic society, social progress should not be determined by a small group of unaccountable organizations.&lt;p&gt;Say what you will about governments pursuing social progress -- at least they are somewhat accountable and need to be elected. (Another potential upside of Trump&amp;#x27;s election: hopefully fewer people who believe that voting never changes anything because the establishment always wins.) Nobody outside of a corporation&amp;#x27;s board has control over who ends up in charge.</text></comment>
<story><title>Google, in Post-Obama Era, Aggressively Woos Republicans</title><url>https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/technology/google-in-post-obama-era-aggressively-woos-republicans.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=a-lede-package-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>alphonsegaston</author><text>I&amp;#x27;m not optimistic, but I hope that the Trump era finally puts an end to the illusions people had about tech giants as a vehicle for social progress. We&amp;#x27;re stepping into an era of extreme inequality, authoritarianism, and intolerance, all borne on the back of their rise. They may not be the origin of these trends, but they certainly rode them to tremendous wealth without anything besides the most superficial concerns for their social consequences.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>r00fus</author><text>You&amp;#x27;re blaming tech giants for the rise in inequality, authoritarianism and intolerance?&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#x27;s like blaming Apple or Spotify that your favorite artists aren&amp;#x27;t as good as they used to be.&lt;p&gt;Fine, be happy the veil is off (tech giants are corporations and when push comes to shove are about money), but honestly you need to look at the petroleum industry,  security &amp;amp; prison industrial complexes and their bought politicians to see the worst.</text></comment>