Just to clarify, I didn’t mean “paying tribute” in the sense of “an act, statement, or gift that is intended to show gratitude, respect, or admiration” but in the sense of “payment made periodically by one state or ruler to another, esp. as a sign of dependence: the king had at his disposal plunder and tribute amassed through warfare.”
My mental image is of once proud and independent Google conquered and humiliated before the Empire, paying tribute to keep from being ravaged further.
9:08 am on March 29, 2006
