On the other hand, Google did so, and the cost to them is staggering and the reward negligible - they probably regret that decision intensely. It will become a business school case study in why companies shouldn't put ethics ahead of money.
The point being that we need a business environment where it makes business sense to stand up to authoritarian regimes.
There's an arrest pending for their (I think former) CEO in case he ever places his feet at my country. For acts he ordered the company to do.
>On the other hand, Google did so, and the cost to them is staggering and the reward negligible - they probably regret that decision intensely.
Wait, what? Who did Google do that to that wasn't China? Because the only one I remember is China, and I explicitly acknowledged in my comment that they have the leverage to carve their own rules. Arguably even more-so with Apple than Google, that's one place where Apple's hardware and vertical integration strategy is a definite weakness vs other players rather than a strength. It's certainly not as if Apple has no negotiating chips vs China, but it's clear who likely has the strongest hand.
But for Google, was there really a "staggering" cost, or any real cost, over refusing the likes of Saudi Arabia or the UAE? I'd love to read up on that if you could point me to what you're thinking of.
Although the book was published in 2011. I do remember it being a good read at the time, and probably still is!