Paying Professors: Inside Google’s Academic Influence Campaign

Universities usually have pretty good rules around this sort of thing, minimally that the paper has to acknowledge its funding sources. The amount of $$ Google spends, however, pales in comparison to what is going on in the drug industry, where millions of dollars go into funding research on drug safety and efficacy. However, that's not even news anymore, it's so rampant.

"What sorts of decisions does he [sponsor] make? According to some network executives, he no longer makes decisions that deal with programming. Spokesmen for sponsoring organizations tend toward similar statements, but with a difference. They say they don't want to control programming, but insist on the right to decide with what programs their names or commercials will be associated. They leave it to broadcasting companies to provide suitable settings for this participation. The broadcasters do so.

Perhaps they are all saying that sponsorship has become so essential, so crucial to the whole scheme of things, that interference of the old sort is no longer necessary. A vast industry has grown up around the needs and wishes of sponsors. Its program formulas, business practices, ratings, demographic surveys have all evolved in ways to satisfy sponsor requirements. He has reached the ultimate status: most decision-making swirls at levels below him, requiring only his occasional benediction at this or that selected point. He is potentate of our time."

The Sponsor - Eric Barnouw

All this just sometimes makes me wonder if you can develop into a big organization without indulging in shady practices. Is it even possible?

We all know about Uber and Greyball [0]. Then, you have Onava and Facebook to peek into user data [1]. Now, this with Google. We have seen this across other industries like GMO and food too.

[0] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/technology/uber-greyball-...

[1] https://outline.com/WnGGRk

Non-paywalled https://archive.fo/0KSDw

$5,000?!