As a fan of Senator J.D. Vance since reading his book Hillbilly Elegy in 2018, I admire his independent, rigorous, and well-reasoned thinking.
Yet, it is odd that Senator Vance is so critical of Google, given its massive, positive impact for Ohio, saying the company should be broken up and otherwise sanctioned because of its alleged intentional manipulation of search information.
As a researcher and writer with a conservative think tank, I do at least 20 Google searches daily. I have never found it difficult, let alone time-consuming to find independent, highly reputable information about how the policies of big, intrusive government are harmful. Whether it means tracking down an arcane U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report or finding the transcript of a controversial speech from 10 years ago, it is just not that hard to do.
If I must scroll down two or three pages or input a different, more targeted search to find quality, independent information that is among the easiest daily “challenges” I face.
Senator Vance’s remedy to the supposed problem, a corporate breakup, is an odd way to address the alleged, and far from proven offense. Furthermore, Senator Vance also sees Google differently than how many of his constituents do, including those from his hometown of Middletown, Ohio.
In June 2024, Google announced it was investing an additional $2.3 billion in three existing data centers in central Ohio, bringing the total invested there to more than $5 billion since 2019. This economic infrastructure brings good-paying, secure jobs.
“Data centers are essential to our digital lives and Google’s additional multibillion dollar investment further establishes central Ohio as an important tech hub in America,” said Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted.
These data centers’ customers include some of Ohio’s biggest and best-known companies such as Nationwide, Huntington National Bank, Victoria’s Secret, and Wendy’s.
According to Google's own analysis, the company generates $14 billion of annual economic activity in Ohio. Relatedly, Google provides more than 581,000 Ohio businesses with free tools to receive phone calls, bookings, reviews, and other connections for their customers. And more than 325,000 Ohioans have received digital skills training through community organizations that Google strongly supports.
In fact, Senator Vance’s hometown embraced Google to help strengthen the community. In May 2023, Downtown Middletown, a community organization focused on revitalization, announced it was partnering with Google to provide free digital skills training to small businesses.
Jeff Payne, Executive Director of Downtown Middletown Inc. said, “This is a tremendous opportunity for small businesses in Middletown and state-wide to develop skills to help them compete locally, nationally, and globally. Downtown Middletown Inc. is honored to be part of this economic vitality program.”
The press release also said, “Since 2017, the Grow with Google Digital Coaches program has trained more than 160,000 small businesses.”
Google also helps Ohio children battling drug addiction. In 2023, it provided nearly $250,000 to Buckeye Ranch to hire certified clinicians to serve people ages 10 to 20. Congressman Mike Carey (R-OH) said, “Not just here, but across central Ohio, I think Google’s made a very strong investment, and I think that’s going to be beneficial for everybody.”
Oddly, Senator Vance has also sided with European Union regulators on tech regulation. These bureaucrats are bashing U.S. tech companies, including Google, and seeking to extract billions in fines for European special interests at America’s expense.
This is dramatically opposite of the U.S.-first economic policy driving Senator Vance’s worldview. Billions of dollars to Europe means less money for Ohio and America.
For these and other reasons, Senator Vance should take another look at Google, as he did former President Donald Trump.