Google Staff's Bonuses Depend on Social Success
Google’s various forays into the social networking market haven’t exactly gone according to plan. Between the only mildly popular Orkut and the privacy fiasco that was Buzz, the folks at Mountain View must be desperate to get it right just once. Now it looks as though they’ll have a little extra incentive to make the social angle a success: Part of their bonuses will depend on it.
Rounding out his first week as CEO of Google, co-founder Larry Page recently made a ballsy decision: A quarter of every employee’s bonus will depend on the success of Google’s efforts in the social arena. In a memo titled “2011 Bonus Multiplier” the new CEO informed staff that based on the company’s social success, they could get anywhere between .75 and 1.25 of their targeted bonus.
“If we’re successful in reaching our goal of integrating relationships, sharing and identity across our products your Q4 bonus could be bigger. If not, your Q4 bonus could be less than target.”
"This is a joint effort so it's important that we all get behind it," Page said in the memo obtained by Business Insider.
However, Googlers with little faith in the search giant’s ability to deliver will be pleased to note that this will only affect bonuses for the fourth quarter.
“Since the multiplier will be measured at the end of the year, it will apply only to the Q4 bonus. Q1, Q2 and Q3 bonuses will be paid out as usual.”
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Face it, Google won't manage to get a good social network going because they are late to the game.
Things like browsers, development kits or office suites are just means to end that can be replaced when something better comes along (assuming it offers backwards compability).
A social network on the other hand, is a carefully built up image and social circle that can't just be transferred. No matter how good a network is, how many people will want to make that change, especially given most of their friends most likely won't be there? Unless they offer a sort of migration tool, something that Facebook obviously won't allow, it's never going to work.