Alphabet (G is for Google)

[Cheetah]

http://googleblog.blogspot.no/2015/08/google-alphabet.html

What is Alphabet? Alphabet is mostly a collection of companies. The largest of which, of course, is Google. This newer Google is a bit slimmed down, with the companies that are pretty far afield of our main Internet products contained in Alphabet instead. What do we mean by far afield? Good examples are our health efforts: Life Sciences (that works on the glucose-sensing contact lens), and Calico (focused on longevity). Fundamentally, we believe this allows us more management scale, as we can run things independently that aren’t very related. Alphabet is about businesses prospering through strong leaders and independence. In general, our model is to have a strong CEO who runs each business, with Sergey and me in service to them as needed. We will rigorously handle capital allocation and work to make sure each business is executing well. We'll also make sure we have a great CEO for each business, and we’ll determine their compensation. In addition, with this new structure we plan to implement segment reporting for our Q4 results, where Google financials will be provided separately than those for the rest of Alphabet businesses as a whole.

Huh. Didn't really expect it like this. Page had said he wanted Google to become more like Berkshire Hathaway, but... Alphabet?

 

[GoodEnoughForMe]

Can't wait until 2020 when telling a toddler to "learn the alphabet" takes on an all new meaning.

 

[Zelig]

All the best parts of Google are no longer Google subsidiaries.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Who will win?

A is Apple or A is for Amazon?

 

[Formaldehyde]

T is for Trump. (At least this year...)

 

[gay_Aleks]

B is for THE BOMB.

 

[Kyriakos]

It isn't funny just how much power google has amassed.

Internet monopoly-sized megasites are scary, at any rate. Convenient, but monopolies end up defining/cornering the market, and then they control what happens.

 

[Synobun]

It isn't funny just how much power google has amassed.

Internet monopoly-sized megasites are scary, at any rate. Convenient, but monopolies end up defining/cornering the market, and then they control what happens.

Not too surprising, all things considered. There are huge umbrella companies in the food industry as well. It seems to be the natural progression of the free market model we abide by these days.

 

[illram]

We also like that it means alpha‑bet (Alpha is investment return above benchmark), which we strive for!

In that sense I think it's actually sort of a cool name. They want to make Alpha Bets on cool new ideas.

Nothing will really change for us plebeian consumers, at least according to what they're saying.

 

[Mise]

Weird considering how strong their brand is. You'd expect their nascent subsidiaries to be dying to use the Google name to leverage sales. Instead they have to use "part of the Alphabet family" or something? Weird.

EDIT: Actually it looks like Alphabet will be a holding company for the weirder, least Googley parts of Google, so I guess it makes sense for them to maintain a separate identity.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

In that sense I think it's actually sort of a cool name. They want to make Alpha Bets on cool new ideas.

Nothing will really change for us plebeian consumers, at least according to what they're saying.

There are two changes I want.

First, I want those obnoxious ads out of my inbox. I refuse to look at them, and clicking the "x" doesn't usually get rid of them unless I click something else and then send all three things to the trash.

Second, they need to fix how incoming emails are sorted. The partitions of Primary, Social, Promotions, and Forums just aren't working. It's annoying to have to keep refreshing the page so I can actually get to some of my email.

 

[Arakhor]

I use AdBlock and long ago "banished" those ads from my Gmail. I also only use my own filters in my Gmail account.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I don't mean the ads that appear on the sides. I'm talking about the ones that are actually in the inbox.

Like this:

 

[Kyriakos]

I do not use Gmail. I had an account many years ago, but iirc last time i tried they asked for more personal info so i did not create a new one.

 

[Arakhor]

I don't mean the ads that appear on the sides. I'm talking about the ones that are actually in the inbox.

I don't recall ever seeing those, I'm afraid.

 

[Zelig]

I use AdBlock and long ago "banished" those ads from my Gmail. I also only use my own filters in my Gmail account.

You shouldn't use adblock: http://readwrite.com/2014/08/01/adblock-plus-switch-adblock

uBlock Origin recommended: https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock

I don't mean the ads that appear on the sides. I'm talking about the ones that are actually in the inbox.

Like this:

Best way to do with those is to switch to disable all the categories other than "Primary" under settings>inbox.

Alternatively, pay for Google Apps and have no ads.

Also alternatively, pay for ad-free outlook and use that instead, just forward gmail to outlook.

 

[Arakhor]

I meant Adblock Plus, but I'll look into uBlock, certainly.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Best way to do with those is to switch to disable all the categories other than "Primary" under settings>inbox.

Alternatively, pay for Google Apps and have no ads.

Also alternatively, pay for ad-free outlook and use that instead, just forward gmail to outlook.

There are exactly three sites on the internet where I pay to see no ads. One is a smiley site to which I have a paid subscription (yes, it's worth it, since the owner keeps it updated with new material and is willing to take a custom request now and then, if it's something that other people would also find useful). Another is a Star Trek forum, since that also gets me extra PM space, custom usertitle (ordinarily you don't get to choose there unless you're staff or a pro writer), access to a premium members' subforum, and the satisfaction of seeing no ads and not being at risk as other people were earlier this year when something went wrong with the ads there (lots of malware was reported; I had no problems at all). The third is Photobucket, where a premium account is a very handy thing.

I see no need to pay Google to keep obnoxious ads out of my inbox. As for disabling everything except Primary, that's not a practical solution. I get dozens, if not a couple of hundred emails on an ordinary day for a variety of reasons, and they can't all go to the same place. So I'm concentrating on sorting out what I don't want in the Promotions category (will tell Gmail to send that to one of the others) and then delete the rest and disable Promotions.

 

[Zelig]

I see no need to pay Google to keep obnoxious ads out of my inbox.

So you're going to keep getting monetized via ads.

As for disabling everything except Primary, that's not a practical solution.

Sure it is, works fine for me.

 

[Arakhor]

I have to say that it works fine for me too, but then I probably don't get as many emails as Valka and I've set up several filters of my own.