[OGinparadise]

My bet is on Google employees. I get a good dozen or so downvotes from them when I post something negative about Google. Usually it happens in a short period of time, as if someone gave them marching orders.

I have also noticed that Googlers aren't fans of saying "Disclaimer: I work for Google" but go straight into praising Google's Product A and Feature B as if they had no bias.

"Google is good and Microsoft is evil" is getting a little tiring and IMO is no longer true. Google will do almost anything for a quick buck:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/13/google-keny... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405311190478740457652... http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/05/technology/google_verizon_ne...

Just imagine what may hide in their black box algorithms as Google claims fairness an unbiased results.

[blhack]

>I dislike large corporations of all stripes (especially smooth talking ones) that are trying to take over the web for their own financial good.

From you profile. You don't think that maybe this bias is showing through in some of your comments?

[threeseed]

So what if there is a bias ? EVERYONE has biases. It's what makes us different.

You shouldn't ever be downvoted for expressing an opposing position.

[crayola]

I'd call this an opinion rather than a bias.. A bias is where some exogenous factors (e.g. background, stakes..) are pushing opinions a certain direction.

[OGinparadise]

So what? People have biases, I never claimed to be unbiased and we're just sharing our opinions. I do not get paid by anyone for what I say. What I said about Google is heretic to some, only because they have this notion of an angelic Google. They'd believe it for Apple, most other companies and especially for Facebook and Microsoft.

Anyway, bed time is almost here.

[rbanffy]

> My bet is on Google employees.

So, either your post is considered bad, deserving downvotes, or there is a conspiracy. I'd go for the simple explanation.

[OGinparadise]

So, either your post is considered bad, deserving downvotes, or there is a conspiracy. I'd go for the simple explanation.

Me too. Considering the flagging of bad-for-Google stories it makes sense.

That's what you meant for the "simple explanation" right?

[YeahKIA]

Rbanffy, you should look at your average rating and that if cooldeal before making that comment

[brendano]

<i> I get a good dozen or so downvotes from them when I post something negative about Google. Usually it happens in a short period of time, as if someone gave them marching orders</i>

There are thousands of employees at Google. Maybe there are just are a lot of people reading HN during the day.

[belorn]

Comments sometimes get downvoted because they are off-topic (fair regarding guidelines? I do not know). For instance, this is a meta discussion about HN being biased towards one company or an other, and has nothing to do with an Microsoft developed app being declared to be in violating with YouTube’s API and Terms of Service.

[mcintyre1994]

Are Bing's ranking algorithms open source then? Or are they too just a black box? This is ridiculous - I'm a big fan of open source but do you think it's realistic that somebody can make their ranking algorithm open source and stay relevant? There's people that would abuse it ridiculously.

[ok_craig]

If people comment and don't say they're Google employees, how do you know they're Google employees?

[fuck_google]

Googlers and Google fanboys are still living in denial. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%BCbler-Ross_model

[11hour]

Why was Microsoft evil? Because back in the day they hired only the best and brightest nerds and geeks. They had the same type of 'IQ test' interviews that Google does now. A company needs some code janitors and code monkeys, and others, to go along with the top coders.

Google are an "us vs them" company now not a "great products" company and that's why they do these things like downvoting rings that lack integrity. That's just the tip of the iceberg, and it's going to get a lot worse.

[rbanffy]

> Why was Microsoft evil? Because back in the day they hired only the best and brightest nerds and geeks.

No. Because they abused a monopoly position hurting competition, therefore artificially inflating prices and preventing the kind of progress we see now in non-PC segments that are not suffocated by them.

Also, for extorting every Android handset maker with a bogus (and secret) list of patents.

[untog]

Would love to see some evidence that backs any part of that up. I'll wait.

If Google has widespread rings of employees dedicated to flagging anti-Google stories on Hacker News, do you honestly think that not one single person would have exposed it by now? That all people involved- including ex employees, most likely- would never talk?

[aptwebapps]

Don't make me relieve my callow youth and go on about the evils of 'M$'. ;) The ire directed at Microsoft back in the day was due to their ruthless business practices and their attack on Linux.

Whether employees of theirs ever indulged in things like astroturfing was irrelevant because their official actions were so upsetting.