A News.com article, and subsequent Slashdot post, note that Google is “considering renewing support” for RSS. Now that’s interesting in itself, but not interesting enough to rouse me out of my book-induced torpor. What *is* interesting is that the CNET story quotes an internal email from Google that threads through the main players at the company. The RSS/Atom feud is not hugely advanced by this leak, the email is not definitive in any way, at least as reported in the CNET piece.
But what is noteworthy is that an internal email on any subject made its way into the hands of a reporter during the quiet period. One would expect this is *not* an intentional leak, as such a move would be dangerous given Google’s desire to avoid pulling a Benioff. So that means something else – that someone at Google is going around company policy to give this to CNET, or, that CNET has an in that Google can’t stop. For a company that is notoriously good at keeping its cards close to the vest, it’s something of a new development.
My guess would be the former – someone at Google disregarded company policy. The “RSS Wars” are enough of a techie matter that it’s easy to see someone just not thinking about “suit” issues such as quiet period, or ignoring them as not relevant.
Yeah, the RSS/Atom debate is quite a technical discussion so it’s understandable a Google employee (presumably a programmer or project manager) would leak the details to CNET News.com. They probably hadn’t even considered the possibility that it was a violation of company policy during the “quiet period”.
Cheers,
Doug
I doubt it’s a violation of Google’s quiet period policy. The SEC is pretty clear that you’re entitled to go about your business. This story is about as trivial as whether or not Google serves Starbucks or Peets in the break room. Quite a bit different from a CEO spouting off about his company’s prospects.
Good point, pb. 🙂
Cheers,
Doug
Politicians do it all the time. Kite Flying, moody PR. Maybe DW.s evil empire campaign had some effect on share price or conscience and they thought that testing the waters on a conciliatory tactic would be a good thing no matter what the waters said.