Perhaps it is just late and I'm cynical but this screamed "hey we're still cool, c'mon see?" There were a series of articles about Microsoft's research projects that had the same vibe. Perhaps it is the BusinessWeek lens. Hard to say.
I cringe though on that title, if its a "secret" lab then you wouldn't know about it, so it isn't secret, so what is it?
It's OK - browsing HN all day can make a lot of people cynical. I'm cynical when it comes to cynicism.
You don't need to analyze tone and phrasing here. Just look at the facts. Google has employed some of the most diverse and qualified people in the world to work in a lab with funding that most researcher-builders could only dream of. That alone should excite the mind to think of the possibilities.
We know the lab continues to develop self-driving cars, and that they've already put a bunch of miles on them. I don't care how cynical you are - that is AMAZING! Self-driving cars will change the world. Even if we can cut the death rate in half, that's over 17,000[1] loved ones who will return home each day rather than dying unexpectedly and without warning. That thought should at least inspire us! This is to say nothing of preventing minor wasteful accidents and injuries so common we measure them in millions.[1]
The lab itself might not be secret, but its projects are. Let's not argue meaningless semantics. Judging by the people who have gone into the lab, and the things that have come out so far, there's some pretty awesome stuff happening inside. I for one am thrilled to see what they come up with.
I certainly agree that its great that Google is willing to invest in this stuff, and that reminds me of Xerox PARC from the 1980's. Thus anyone who is looking to research really "out there" sorts of ideas should seek to join Google. I also think that Google should think about the PR tone (which I know they do on many things) for this sort of article too, caveat you really don't get a huge amount of control on how someone is going to use the information you give them, once they get it.
It's easy to get cynical about business articles and anything with "secret" in the title. I get that way myself. But since the demise of Bell Labs, it feels like there's a big void to be filled. It probably never will be filled in the same way, but I'm happy to see a big company take on big projects. Other than CERN or NASA, I don't hear too much in the news about big budget R&D / science projects.
I cringe though on that title, if its a "secret" lab then you wouldn't know about it, so it isn't secret, so what is it?