4chan Founder Chris ‘Moot’ Poole Begins ‘The Next Chapter’ At Google
Despite its best efforts, Google hasn't exactly rocked the social media world, not with its Google+ venture or any of its side operations. That's not to say Google+ is irrelevant, but it's no Facebook or Twitter. To help change that, Google recently hired Chris Poole, otherwise known online as "moot," founder of the wildly popular 4chan website.
"Today I'm excited to announce that I've joined Google. When meeting with current and former Googlers, I continually find myself drawn to their intelligence, passion, and enthusiasm—as well as a universal desire to share it with others," Poole stated on his blog. "I'm also impressed by Google's commitment to enabling these same talented people to tackle some of the world's most interesting and important problems."
Poole doesn't say what exactly it is he'll be doing at Google, adding only that he's looking forward to contributing his own experiences gained from a dozen years of building online communities. For Poole, working at Google is the next chapter of his career, though the question is, what does it mean for Google?
That will be revealed in time. One thing we know is that Google needs help in fleshing out its social presence. Poole knows a thing or two about that, though it's not likely Google wants to turn its social network into a 4chan clone. For the most part, 4chan largely operates without a filter. It also respects anonymity—there's no registration required to post. Both of those things are at odds with how Google operates.
As odd as the pairing seems to be on the surface, Poole might be exactly what Google needs. He gets social media in ways that Google doesn't, and while he may end up butting heads with his new employer from time to time, this could be the start of something wonderful.
"Today I'm excited to announce that I've joined Google. When meeting with current and former Googlers, I continually find myself drawn to their intelligence, passion, and enthusiasm—as well as a universal desire to share it with others," Poole stated on his blog. "I'm also impressed by Google's commitment to enabling these same talented people to tackle some of the world's most interesting and important problems."
Poole doesn't say what exactly it is he'll be doing at Google, adding only that he's looking forward to contributing his own experiences gained from a dozen years of building online communities. For Poole, working at Google is the next chapter of his career, though the question is, what does it mean for Google?
— Gorgor (@GorGor71) March 7, 2016
That will be revealed in time. One thing we know is that Google needs help in fleshing out its social presence. Poole knows a thing or two about that, though it's not likely Google wants to turn its social network into a 4chan clone. For the most part, 4chan largely operates without a filter. It also respects anonymity—there's no registration required to post. Both of those things are at odds with how Google operates.
As odd as the pairing seems to be on the surface, Poole might be exactly what Google needs. He gets social media in ways that Google doesn't, and while he may end up butting heads with his new employer from time to time, this could be the start of something wonderful.
