Do you know about the great trial that was expected to be held between Google and a media startup Ozy? It feels rather like watching an episode of your favorite legal drama show, only with a lot more references to information technology. Alright, let’s get our toes wet and take a look!
The Big Claim
So, picture this: Ozy Media co-founder Carlos Watson is in a little bit of trouble. He is charged with fraud and one of the daring things he mentioned was that Google was willing to part with 600 million dollars for Ozy. That’s like saying you wanted to sell your lemonade stand for the amount equal to a small island!
Enter Sundar Pichai
Alphabet’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, went to the New York federal court as a witness to clear the matter. Just picture him strolling in nonchalantly, prepared to smooth things over. Pichai stated, ‘Hey, hey, friends! Don’t get it wrong, Google never intended to purchase Ozy. The idea was that they would invest $25 million into Watson, but it was more of a carrot being waved in front of a donkey – the investment would only go through if Watson signed with Google. Spoiler alert: It never happened.
The Crazy Incident
This is where it gets even more interesting. Earlier this year, Ozy’s former COO Samir Rao pulled a stunt that seemed more like a script from a Hollywood film. Mendelson portrayed himself as a YouTube executive telephoning Goldman Sachs’ bankers to convince them Ozy was the future. But his act was like a karaoke night gone terribly wrong, it was so unbearable that the bankers felt it was a scam and flew off a $35 million deal.
More Confessions
Also, Suzee Han who was the former chief of staff of Ozy left the company and received much attention. She said she cooked the books, meaning inventing dazzling financial figures for Ozy that were actually as slow as a turtle. According to Watson’s management, they falsely inflated the status of the operations of Ozy to investors. Likewise, Rao got in the hall of shame as well as Han has been charged with fraud and he has admitted guilty to the charges.
The Trial Continues
Following the progression of the movie, which is mainly based on a legal theme, the prosecution is working on charges against Watson. The man is still denying any wrong doing and is maintaining his side of the story. It is a slow process of maneuvering in a chess like situation where the two sides or stations are trying to outdo the other.
What We Learned
Finally, you may ask what can be learned from this story? First of all, one should always be wary of the information one hears – particularly if it seems impossible to be true. Second, one should be always honest without exceptions, even while working for a media and tech company.
Wrapping Up
They all know that the trial has not come to an end yet, and therefore they are all holding their breath to see the judgment of the court. It is an unfortunate lesson that counterfeit and deceit are not worth the gold or even what Google claims to have offered, $600 million.
