No doubt he’s a egotistical dick, but to say the world would be a better place without him is categorically false on many grounds.
- The man popularized electric vehicles like no car manufacturers have ever been able to do.
- SpaceX’s achievement in reducing the cost per pound and reusable rocket tech will have profound implications on our species survival over the long run.
- Starlink coverage now provides relatively affordable internet to far more remote areas of the world.
So while I think recent years of criticism is fair based on his behavior (why the hell is he wasting precious time on Twitter again?) to say the world would be better off without him is to overlook the substantial contributions he has made towards technological advancement and global connectivity. It’s important to separate the individual’s personal flaws from the broader value of their work. Just my 2 cents.
I went to Google IO the year they announced Google Music (2013?) and they offered a special discount for those in attendance. I gotta hand it to them, even through all those transitions (Red, YouTube Premium) they have grandfathered me into the new services with the similar discounted price. If they ever took the discount away, I still kinda feel like the family plan is a bit justified given how much my wife and I consume YouTube content.