Hacker News Reader

I used to trust Google Maps, but in the last year it has given me some very bad directions that not only were wrong, but were sometimes dangerous. I've started to very much not trust its directions, which is unfortunate, because it used to be so great.

View on HN

I've been using Apple Maps exclusively for a few years now, as I like the turn by turn directions much better, and the UI is more readable to me, as others have noted.

My wife seems to like Google Maps better, so we tried it on a recent trip. I ended up going around in circles in an unfamiliar area, and it kept telling me to turn where no road existed. I was flabbergasted it was so bad, as the last time I used it, I didn't remember it being so unreliable.

Engineering excellence has been a part of the Google founding culture, but I think that has been eroding in the past few years ... MBA types are taking over and engineering talent are slowly draining away. I'm just a nobody opining here -- they needed better product leadership than better business leadership. Now that their cash cow (ads on search) is eroding and they don't have a way to make solid products, they're kinda floundering.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com