Make police states hip again? Google offered STASI HQ for new Berlin office
RT.com
11 Nov, 2018
Google is searching Berlin for some trendy real estate to call home – a place that reflects the company’s unofficial, recently scrapped motto, “Don’t Be Evil.” Hey, what about the ex-headquarters of East Germany’s secret police?
Our story begins innocently enough. The tech giant had originally planned to open its Google Campus startup hub in Berlin’s uber hipster district of Kreuzberg – shocking, we know – but disaster soon struck. Party-pooping locals organized against the move, citing the threat of rising rents and a general distaste for data-gobbling Silicon Valley behemoths.
Luckily, the Berlin district of Lichtenberg has a long, proud tradition of hosting data lovers: District officials have generously offered Google the former headquarters of the East German Stasi.
The plan has been endorsed by Danny Freymark, who sits in Berlin’s state parliament and is a member of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU). According to Freymark, Google would be an ideal investor to bring “democracy” to the old secret police stomping grounds. The plan has reportedly also received support from other local officials, with one correctly noting that the area was perfect for Google because there is no risk of “gentrification.”
District Mayor Michael Grunst is reportedly already in talks with Google about the company putting down roots in Lichtenberg – although it’s not clear if he’s brought up the plan to “reinvent” the old Stasi HQ.
The Germans – who are vaguely acquainted with the potential dangers of unaccountable organizations compiling cradle-to-grave dossiers on all living things – thought that the real estate deal was a swell idea.
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