MapQuest GM Visits Lake Ontario After Defying Trump
Doug Berger, the general manager of MapQuest, visited Lake Ontario on Thursday morning, after the company refused to change the lake's name to Lake America as ordered by US President Donald Trump
MapQuest's general manager, Doug Berger, a Texan visiting Toronto for a conference, made a point to visit Lake Ontario on Thursday morning. This visit comes after MapQuest's decision to keep the original name of the lake on its maps, despite US President Donald Trump's consideration to change it to Lake America.
The decision to reject the name change was made in August, when Trump announced he was considering it. MapQuest's team, which consists of roughly 50 staff, made the decision to ignore the potential name change, citing the importance of giving users familiarity and maintaining the integrity of their navigation products.
Unlike MapQuest, other tech giants such as Google and Apple adopted 'Lake America' for users in the United States, while retaining Lake Ontario for those in Canada. Trump had previously changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America in January, a move that MapQuest also chose not to follow.
MapQuest posted a map of Lake Ontario with the caption 'we're not changing it' after Trump signed the executive order, making the company the talk of the tech world and beyond. Berger's visit to the lake was a way to mark the moment and acknowledge the significance of the decision.
## Why it matters The decision by MapQuest to defy Trump's order has sparked a conversation about the role of tech companies in navigating political decisions. The move has also highlighted the importance of maintaining the integrity of geographic names and the potential consequences of changing them. For MapQuest, the decision was about giving users a sense of familiarity and consistency, and about standing up for what the company believes in.
The visit by Berger to Lake Ontario is a symbol of the company's commitment to its values and its decision to stand up against the name change. As the company continues to navigate the complex world of tech and politics, its decision to keep the original name of Lake Ontario on its maps will be remembered as a significant moment in its history.
