# Googleドライブはなぜグチャグチャになる運命なのか？

- Show: ゆるコンピュータ科学ラジオ
- Published: 2026-09-20
- Canonical: https://podc.club/en/episode/1604353315_82b1299c49a8.html
- Audio: https://api.robotstart.jp/api/for-media/v1/articles/35ac047a/permanent/with-advertise/podcast/bcd260c7adc5dcc0cd8a8fcc38f8a696.mp3
- Source: Edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. Not an official summary.

This episode of Yuru Computer Science Radio digs into 4,208 duplicate files and 3.8 terabytes of wasted data found on the Google Drive of Pedantic Inc., the company that produces the show, to explain why company Google Drives inevitably end up a mess. The discussion covers the difference between My Drive and Shared Drives, the headaches caused by dual record-keeping under Japan's Electronic Books Preservation Act, and the core organizing principle of a 'Single Source of Truth' (SSOT).

## What this episode answers

### Why did Pedantic's Google Drive end up with 4,208 duplicate files and 3.8 terabytes of wasted data?

Because of an ad hoc setup where files were uploaded to My Drive and shared as a stopgap when the company was small, with permissions just added as headcount grew rather than a proper Shared Drive being established, and nobody revisited the setup until it caused serious damage; this let duplicates like YouTube thumbnail assets pile up across three separate locations.

### What's the difference between My Drive and a Shared Drive?

A file uploaded to My Drive remains owned by the individual even after sharing, like a chef's personal knife that requires the owner's permission to move or discard, whereas a file uploaded to a Shared Drive becomes company property instantly, like a tool bought with the restaurant's money that can be freely moved or discarded.

### Why do company files keep ending up managed in My Drive?

Because when a company starts out small, nobody sets up a dedicated Shared Drive, so files get uploaded to My Drive and shared as a stopgap, with permissions simply added as the team grows, and this ad hoc arrangement never gets revisited unless it causes serious damage.

### Why is a 'halfway migration' the most dangerous scenario?

Because it results in My Drive and the Shared Drive running in parallel rather than a full switch, so new members unaware of the history copy files like thumbnails over to "also have it here," spreading duplication further—similar to companies keeping both paper and electronic records under the Electronic Books Preservation Act, which doubles the work instead of reducing it.

### What is the 'Single Source of Truth' (SSOT) concept that prevents Google Drive from turning into a mess?

SSOT means consolidating data and information into one place and treating only that one place as authoritative, such as putting all schedules in the company Google Calendar and inviting individuals to it, or keeping internal rules viewable only through an internal system rather than on paper.

## Article

## 4,208 duplicate files and 3.8TB of waste
When the team cleaned up the Google Drive belonging to Pedantic Inc., the company that produces the show, they found that 4,208 files existed as duplicates in separate folders, with 3.8 terabytes of removable, wasted data. That works out to roughly 60,000 yen a year in unnecessary cost. The worst offender was YouTube thumbnail assets: thousands of nearly identical images were scattered across three separate locations, turning the drive into a 'labyrinth' where nobody could tell where the file they actually needed was located.

## My Drive vs. Shared Drive
Part of the confusion came from not understanding the difference between My Drive and Shared Drives. A file uploaded to My Drive stays owned by the individual even after it's shared with others. A file uploaded to a Shared Drive becomes company property the instant it's uploaded. Using a restaurant analogy: My Drive is like a chef bringing their own personal knife into the workplace — moving or discarding it requires the owner's permission every time. A Shared Drive is like a tool bought with the restaurant's money — it can be moved or discarded freely.

## Ad hoc fixes that stick forever
When a company is just starting out with a small team, nobody thinks to set up a dedicated Shared Drive. Files get uploaded to My Drive and shared as a stopgap, and permissions just get added as headcount grows, so the company ends up running on My Drive indefinitely. Because nobody revisits the setup unless it causes serious damage, this ad hoc approach becomes permanent — and that, the hosts say, is the core of the problem.

## Halfway migrations are the most dangerous
About three years ago, the video editing team set up its own Shared Drive to handle editing material, but because it wasn't a company-wide migration, My Drive and the Shared Drive ended up running in parallel — the worst possible outcome. New members who didn't know the history would helpfully copy thumbnail assets over, thinking 'it'd be better to have this here too,' which only spread the duplication further. The same pattern was cited in how companies handle the Electronic Books Preservation Act, where some companies end up having to keep both paper and electronic records — a textbook example of how a halfway migration or halfway compliance effort doubles the work instead of reducing it. The hosts extended this as a cautionary note for small and midsize companies currently rolling out AI adoption.

## SSOT (Single Source of Truth)
The solution offered is the idea of a 'Single Source of Truth' (SSOT): data and information should be consolidated in one place, and only that one place should be treated as authoritative. Examples given included consolidating all schedules into the company Google Calendar and inviting individuals to it to eliminate discrepancies, and keeping internal company rules viewable only through an internal system rather than on paper.

## Takeaways

- Ad hoc fixes that stick around permanently, with no one revisiting them, is the root cause of Google Drive turning into a mess.
- My Drive is personally owned while a Shared Drive is company-owned, so company data should be managed on a Shared Drive.
- Consolidating information into a single 'Single Source of Truth' (SSOT) is the key to staying organized.