Hate is a strong word. Still, it's one we throw about regularly. Hating is often a sign of our dissatisfaction, of something not living up to its original promise or our expectations. An expression of hate is, in a way, a strong market signal that consumers use to signal the things they don't like and why they don't like them.
And that’s why researchers from Rave Reviews thought it would be interesting to take a look at the companies people hate the most.
Here's what they found out:
But why?
It might have something to do with Microsoft's unsavory business strategies. In 2004, Microsoft was forced to pay a $900 million fine for unlawful monopolistic practices targeting rival companies.
And that's not the only scandal to rock Microsoft.
The company has also been accused of breaching licensing agreements and black-listing journalists. Then there’s the privacy issue. In July 2013 The Guardian newspaper leaked documents showing how Microsoft helped the NSA circumvent its encryption to intercept web chats on Outlook.com. It also provided the intelligence service with access to user data on its cloud storage service.
And Microsoft continues to take advantage of legal loopholes to avoid paying any tax on the annual $200billion profit from its Irish subsidiary!
Uber might have helped bring down inner-city cab prices, but the service has been accused of exploitative employment practices and safety issues. In 2018 over 3,000 Uber passengers reported sexual assaults or other forms of inappropriate driver behavior.
But Uber still isn't the most hated tech brand in the UK. That unenviable title goes to Amazon. Germany and Spain aren't fans of Jeff Bezos's garage baby either. And neither are online shoppers in Japan, New Zealand, or Jamaica. That means Amazon is the most despised tech company in just six nations.
Doesn't sound that bad, does it? However, Amazon only operates in 18 countries!
Consumers are particularly irked about the repeated stories on how Amazon treats its warehouse worker, including sacking women who fall pregnant. Other Amazon haters are put off by its founder's vanity projects. Bezos' recent 4-minute trip to the edge of space is rumored to have cost $5.5billion. And when he's not touring the outer edge of our atmosphere, Bezos makes a whopping $8,961,187 per hour - that's roughly 615 times more than the average Amazon worker's hourly rate!
Google receives its fair share of flack, too. The world's biggest and most powerful search engine company is hated in Chile, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Israel, and several other nations. Like many of its fellow big tech behemoths, Google has garnered unwanted attention for tax avoidance, sharing data with intelligence agencies, and manipulating search engine results for political and ideological purposes. It seems like Google is struggling to live up to its original promise to "Not Do Anything Evil."
Maybe that's why it quietly removed the clause from its code of conduct back in 2018.
But people all over the world still have plenty of hate left in their hearts for other types of companies. And, as the Rave Reviews research shows, some of the things people decide to hate are a little odd...
For example, don't ask any of your St Lucian friends if they fancy going for a pint of Heineken. This particular drink is the number one hated brand in the country. The same goes for Hennesey in the Bahamas and Red Bull in Brazil.
A KFC bargain bucket is the biggest turn-off of all for fast-food munchers in Uganda and New Zealand. At the same time, many snack hunters in Sweden would prefer to go hungry than eat a Burger King Whopper meal! And while Pepsi and Coca-Cola are loved (almost) everywhere, they're the least favorite fizzy beverage for people living in Zimbabwe and Nepal.
Consumers value quality. But, as this research shows, it seems like we judge many companies not by the service they provide but by the values they embody. And many of the biggest firms on the planet seem to be falling well short of their own ideals...
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And that’s why researchers from Rave Reviews thought it would be interesting to take a look at the companies people hate the most.
Here's what they found out:
The most hated tech company in the world
Microsoft is officially the most hated tech company in the world, according to Rave Reviews researchers. It tops the hate-rate chart in over 20 countries, including the USA, Finland, and Russia.But why?
It might have something to do with Microsoft's unsavory business strategies. In 2004, Microsoft was forced to pay a $900 million fine for unlawful monopolistic practices targeting rival companies.
And that's not the only scandal to rock Microsoft.
The company has also been accused of breaching licensing agreements and black-listing journalists. Then there’s the privacy issue. In July 2013 The Guardian newspaper leaked documents showing how Microsoft helped the NSA circumvent its encryption to intercept web chats on Outlook.com. It also provided the intelligence service with access to user data on its cloud storage service.
And Microsoft continues to take advantage of legal loopholes to avoid paying any tax on the annual $200billion profit from its Irish subsidiary!
Big tech is driving people mad
Microsoft isn't the only big-name tech company driving people mad. In the UK, the ride-hailing and food delivery platform Uber is widely hated.Uber might have helped bring down inner-city cab prices, but the service has been accused of exploitative employment practices and safety issues. In 2018 over 3,000 Uber passengers reported sexual assaults or other forms of inappropriate driver behavior.
But Uber still isn't the most hated tech brand in the UK. That unenviable title goes to Amazon. Germany and Spain aren't fans of Jeff Bezos's garage baby either. And neither are online shoppers in Japan, New Zealand, or Jamaica. That means Amazon is the most despised tech company in just six nations.
Doesn't sound that bad, does it? However, Amazon only operates in 18 countries!
Consumers are particularly irked about the repeated stories on how Amazon treats its warehouse worker, including sacking women who fall pregnant. Other Amazon haters are put off by its founder's vanity projects. Bezos' recent 4-minute trip to the edge of space is rumored to have cost $5.5billion. And when he's not touring the outer edge of our atmosphere, Bezos makes a whopping $8,961,187 per hour - that's roughly 615 times more than the average Amazon worker's hourly rate!
A lack of trust can often lead to hate
People in Hong Kong, Belgium, and Poland reserve their hate for Facebook. Many consider the social media platform outdated and redundant, while others are concerned about privacy issues and Facebook's troubling research projects. Facebook has admitted to running experiments on users. These included manipulating user news feeds to see how people would react to positive and negative content.Google receives its fair share of flack, too. The world's biggest and most powerful search engine company is hated in Chile, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Israel, and several other nations. Like many of its fellow big tech behemoths, Google has garnered unwanted attention for tax avoidance, sharing data with intelligence agencies, and manipulating search engine results for political and ideological purposes. It seems like Google is struggling to live up to its original promise to "Not Do Anything Evil."
Maybe that's why it quietly removed the clause from its code of conduct back in 2018.
The world's most hated brands
Given their influence over our daily lives, it's no surprise that the big tech companies are a huge target for our dissatisfaction.But people all over the world still have plenty of hate left in their hearts for other types of companies. And, as the Rave Reviews research shows, some of the things people decide to hate are a little odd...
For example, don't ask any of your St Lucian friends if they fancy going for a pint of Heineken. This particular drink is the number one hated brand in the country. The same goes for Hennesey in the Bahamas and Red Bull in Brazil.
A KFC bargain bucket is the biggest turn-off of all for fast-food munchers in Uganda and New Zealand. At the same time, many snack hunters in Sweden would prefer to go hungry than eat a Burger King Whopper meal! And while Pepsi and Coca-Cola are loved (almost) everywhere, they're the least favorite fizzy beverage for people living in Zimbabwe and Nepal.
Consumers value quality. But, as this research shows, it seems like we judge many companies not by the service they provide but by the values they embody. And many of the biggest firms on the planet seem to be falling well short of their own ideals...