Same with Google's ads in general. For a long time they were whitelisted by default on just about every adblock list out there because they were so unobtrusive it didn't make sense to bother blocking them, especially when you compared them to the other ads that were common at the time. They were also generally relevant ads, so people actually did click on them and use them since it actually related to the thing they were searching for.
They're obviously more profitable now, but you have to wonder by how much and if they'd be a more trusted company today (and what's that worth monetarily) if they hadn't gone down this race to the bottom.
ETA: Part of what I mean is that now they create things like Stadia and most people didn't even bother trying it because they knew it'd hit the Google Graveyard in a few years. Had Google been a more trusted company, people may have been willing to give it a try and they could possibly have printed money since by all accounts the service was actually pretty good.
For the people that don't want to read the article, this seems especially relevant:
But much has changed since 2022: Embracer, which owns Gearbox, bet the house on a $2 billion deal with a Saudi investment group that fell through in 2023. Ever since, its many, many properties have been hit by layoffs on a near-monthly basis.
I know Repubs don't actually want a functioning government, but JFC, when half the govt actively, publicly and LOUDLY works against it, it's no surprise it's so fucked up.
I know so many people that have no issues paying what they borrowed, but at this point, they've already paid back the initial amount and still owe more than they initially borrowed and it's fucking ridiculous.
At the very least they're confident enough in being able to get it where they need it to be with time and from what they've said, the devs seem more than willing to accept their PRs. The great thing about Federation though is that even if Lemmy devs tell them too fuck off and refuse to work with them, they can still maintain their fork and stay in contact with the rest f the lemmy/kbin instances while retaining their accessibility improvements.
Reddit seemed to actively be going out of their way to make things difficult, so I have to imagine it's a nice change of pace to have some control over their future community, even if it isn't as good as Reddit was.
ETA: The biggest hurdles for both KBin and Lemmy right now seem to be moderation at all, let alone moderation via apps, which is one of their big concerns. Again though, at least Lemmy devs want to get there and aren't just trying to IPO and make a quick buck.
It's the key needed to unencrypt a video DVD, it's how people were able to make duplicates of DVDs. This was technically illegal to use thanks to the DMCA, but not illegal to know, so people had fun with it and plastered it on T-shirts, mugs, etc...
From what I've seen: Linus didn't ever typically rip into first time contributors, it was usually always the people that he either expected better of or people that just kept submitting crap after crap.
Still sucks to be on the receiving end of it though.
Regardless of anything else, it's a medical procedure, your employer shouldn't be privy to private medical details just because they don't agree with them. You should be able to get a doctors note that you're having a procedure, will require time to heal and be done with it, in any reasonable world, but ... here we are.
There's also the "oh shit, I'll get this fixed, but nothing I say can be in writing or I'm definitely getting fired" possibility.
Nah boss, I just apologized for my misunderstanding, I have no idea why $Insubordinate_Contractor is saying that I said he'd better come in or I'm going to blacklist him in the entire industry and ensure he never works again ... I mean, why would I say that?! I don't have that kind of power!