Featured Project
Play the Google Blame Game
Whenever Google is caught doing something dubious, even “evil,” its response is always the same: It’s someone else’s fault.

Whenever Google is caught doing something dubious, even “evil,” its response is always the same: It’s someone else’s fault.

The alleged source of Google’s troubles has changed over the years. When journalists or regulators have raised questions about its conduct, Google has pointed at different times to MicrosoftAppleRupert MurdochViacomOracleFoxAT&TMPAANBC Universalpublisherscompetitorscomparison shopping sites, “some existing providers,” “a small number of websites”—even “an anti-Google Industrial Complex.”

After a certain age, everyone, even multinational corporations, has to start taking responsibility for their actions. So, in honor of Google’s 21st birthday a few weeks ago, we pulled together a sampling of the company’s attempts to blame someone else for its questionable conduct. Because it’s Google, we’ve turned it into a Google Doodle for the occasion.

Enjoy!

October 9, 2019
Top stories_
August 26, 2025

As Meta comes under growing pressure over its impact on teens, it’s using a range of tactics to move the public narrative in a friendlier direction.

July 15, 2025

Arms dealers in Houthi-controlled Yemen are openly offering weapons for sale on Elon Musk’s X and Meta-owned WhatsApp.

August 13, 2025

Google once ranked as the country’s top corporate spender on lobbying, but then its numbers dropped sharply. A little-known legal strategy played a role.

June 12, 2025

The Apple and Google app stores offer VPNs without revealing they’re owned by Chinese companies. That keeps Americans in the dark about privacy and national security risks.