Danny Sullivan: I Was Not Hired By Google To Keep Quiet

Jan 3, 2018 - 7:59 am 12 by
Filed Under Misc Google

Danny Sullivan Google Noogler Hat

As you know, after Danny Sullivan retired from the search space, he was hired by Google a few months later. I was honestly shocked but I was optimistic for both parties.

That being said, Adrianne Jeffries, an editor at The Outline wrote a story around a Google instant answer being incorrect. I mean, you can literally write dozens of articles a day on that topic, but this caught a lot of attention because of the names involved. The cool thing is, when the answer Google gives is wrong, and you report it to Google via the link under the answer, normally it is resolved within 24 hours - I tested it myself several times.

In any event, Adrianne Jeffries actually wrote that she thinks Google hired Danny to keep him quiet. She wrote "Danny Sullivan, a journalist who was so effective at reporting on Google that the company hired him away to keep him quiet (my personal theory)."

Danny Sullivan Google Theory

Danny did not like that, and he shouldn't like it. He blasted back on Twitter calling that line "180 degrees off."

He then goes on to explain why he is now at Google:

Adding that he is not with the PR team, which is 100% true, but he is a spokesperson for Google:

I've known Danny for a nice part of my life, probably close to 40% of my life actually. I've worked closely with him for most of those years.

There really is nothing further from the truth that to say that he would be hired by Google to keep him quiet. He would never have taken on the job if that was the case. If he felt it was the case after he joined Google, he would have left immediately. Him sticking around, means to me, at least, that Google is serious about being transparent and doing a better job around all of that transparency stuff. The day he leaves Google, that is when I become concerned about Google shutting down all transparency. Now, that is my theory.

Forum discussion at Twitter.

 

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