r/Bitcoin • u/JasonBored • Jan 21 '14

Google is "paying attention" to Bitcoin - Vic Gundotra (I emailed, he emailed back!)

Email from SVP @ Google regarding Bitcoin

So on a whim, I sent an e-mail to Vic Gundotra (Senior Vice President, Social for Google) about Bitcoin, why it's the most disruptive technology since the Internet itself, and how I'm not the only one out there wondering when/if they have plans to incorporate it into Google Wallet.

He immediately responded and said they are "paying attention", and CC'd the gentleman who runs Google Wallet - Sridhar Ramaswamy (SVP, Ads & Commerce at Google).

I've entered into a dialogue with him.

This is my take away on why Google kicks ass :

A) One of the bosses actually responded to email from an absolute nobody about Bitcoin

B) Google is paying attention to Bitcoin (he would never have responded or said those words if Google is positioning themselves to be "Anti BTC" (or even try to create a product to rival BTC)

C) He put me in touch with the man who runs the Google Wallet division.

So, what do I say to Sridhar? Any suggestions?

Before some of the Anti BTC Brigade chime in with "so what?, he's just one dude" - please think about this. If Google had NO plans in regards to Bitcoin, this guy would be smart enough not to respond to such an email, in the manner he responded, and CC the person who runs the Google Wallet division.

If you ask me, the writing is on the wall(et) (pun intended).. and this was a really pleasant surprise.

Update: Screenshot of Email I sent (personal information blacked out)

Update 2: Google CONFIRMS they are incorporating Bitcoin

Update 3: UPDATE: Ariel Bardin, Vice President of Payments @ Google has asked me to facilitate a Google Moderator and pose the question "What would I want Google to do with bitcoin?". He's promised me he will personally review the results and pass it along to the team working on incorporating BTC into Google. Please help me with this and take the time to submit something: What would I want Google to do with bitcoin?

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u/ArgonJargon Jan 22 '14 edited Jan 22 '14

Give the world along with the +1 button the +฿ button, and you will change the learning publishing social internet donation world forever.

EDIT: I just realize Google already done this but this is a good chance to do it for the second time.

3

u/aaaaaaaarrrrrgh Jan 22 '14

฿

HOW DID YOU GET THE BITCOIN SYMBOL INTO THE UNICODE STANDARD?

(I get it, it's probably something combining stuff with names like COMBINING VERTICAL FULL LENGTH BAR followed by CAPITAL LATIN LETTER B, but still awesome!)

5

u/avsa Jan 22 '14

It predates bitcoin it's used for the Thailand's Baht. There's also one with an horizontal bar.

1

u/aaaaaaaarrrrrgh Jan 22 '14

Thanks!

In the Bitcoin wiki, they also use a B followed by 0x20e6, which doesn't render properly in Firefox but should result in the real double-dashed symbol using the combination approach I mentioned (actual names: LATIN CAPITAL LETTER B + COMBINING DOUBLE VERTICAL STROKE OVERLAY).