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On Google Maps, there are three map type options: default; Ground, which shows an approximation of the texture of the earth; and Satellite, which includes aerial images of real life. In a series of tweets over the weekend, Maps co-creator Bret Taylor explained how the Maps team had prevented the Satellite View broadcast by a very silly name: Bird Mode.
Here's a stupid story from Google Maps on how "Satellite" has almost been named "Bird Fashion" pic.twitter.com/wj7CRJUEyx
– Bret Taylor (@btaylor) February 23, 2019
Much of the "satellite" imagery of Google Maps has not been taken by satellites; it's really an aerial photograph, taken from an airplane. Taylor thought that the details mattered little to the experience of the end user. Since "aerial photography" was a phrase too long to be used in the Maps user interface, it was better to stick to "satellite".
The nomenclature became a subject of contention, however, and the last preliminary revision of the feature in 2005 resulted in a lengthy discussion on the question of how to call it. Names such as "Airplane View" and "Superman" were suggested, but Google co-founder Sergey Brin had the final suggestion before the end of the meeting. "Let's call it the bird mode," he says.
The Maps team hated the idea and finally decided to ignore Brin.
In the end, when you write the code, you have a lot of power. ?
We vetoed the decision and launched with "Satellite". And literally, no member of the executive has noticed or remembered our review.
And since then we are fooling people with our not really satellite imagery.
– Bret Taylor (@btaylor) February 23, 2019
You can read the full story of the incident under the gif of Taylor in this thread. It's a funny anecdote and an interesting look at how Google works at the time.
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