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Google As Alphabet Subsidiary Drops "Don't Be Evil"

Posted by timothy on from the hopefully-that-leaves-mostly-overlap dept.

CNet, The Verge, and many other outlets are reporting that with the official transition of Google (as overarching company) to Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, Google's made another change that's caught a lot of people's attention: the company has swapped out their famous motto "Don't be evil" for one with a slightly different ring: "Do the right thing." Doing the right thing sounds like a nice thing to aspire to, but doesn't seem quite as exciting.

10 of 247 comments (clear)

  1. Paved with good intentions... by Mr+Z · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Which road was that again?

    --
    Program Intellivision!
  2. Until someone decides by Stonent1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    That being evil is the right thing to do. You know, ends justify the means and all that jazz...

  3. "Do the right thing...." by Gaygirlie · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "....for the stockholders' wallets."

    I know I won't be holding my breath here!

    1. Re:"Do the right thing...." by NewtonsLaw · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You've nailed it. "Do the right thing" is highly ambiguous when compared to their previous motto.

      Clearly they want the wiggle-room because doing "evil" can sometimes be highly profitable.

  4. Do the right thing... by Ecuador · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Do the right thing... for whom? Without a specifier it does not tell us anything. It is definitely not the same as "don't be evil", although we've figured out that Google has not followed that mantra for a while now (not at Apple levels yet!).

    --
    Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
  5. Google is keeping "don't be evil" by loosescrews · · Score: 5, Informative
    From TFA:

    Even though Google is underneath Alphabet, its own, more specific code of conduct remains largely the same, and it retains the "don't be evil" motto. And since most of Alphabet's employees work at Google, that means "don't be evil" is still very much alive and well in Mountain View.

    It is just Alphabet that is dropping it.

    1. Re:Google is keeping "don't be evil" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      What part of the alphabet? The letters N, S, and A? Or C, I, and A? Or is that F, B, I, D, E, A?

  6. Millennials and "codes of conduct". by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Can anyone explain to me why Millennials are so gung-ho about "codes of conduct", and why they're so hypocritical about them?

    To see what I'm talking about, read these comments about the creation of an open source code of conduct template.

    It's unbelievable. A number of the participants in that discussion claim to be against discrimination, yet they're actively pushing for it to be deemed completely acceptable to discriminate against people who happened to have been born with white skin and a penis!

    To many Millennials, a "code of conduct" isn't something to help keep social interaction civil. It's actually a weapon that they use against those whom they dislike.

    1. Re:Millennials and "codes of conduct". by mrbester · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Jesus fucking Christ that thread was painful to read.

      That so many are so hell bent on pushing their agenda of having the right to be offended and the power to decry / denounce / ban anyone they don't like for whatever reason (usually based on their own flawed perception of a utopia where everybody thinks exactly like they do) is pitiful.

      Has a name been attributed (a la Godwin) to the death of a thread when someone writes "Check your privilege"? Because apart from "Go fuck yourself" there isn't any response to it.

      --
      "Wait. Something's happening. It's opening up! My God, it's full of apricots!"
  7. Summery is Wrong by Paxtez · · Score: 5, Informative

    Google's code is still 'Don't be evil.'

    https://investor.google.com/co...

    Alphabet, the new company that Google is a part of, has it's own code that is the 'Do the right thing'.

    But that's a much less interesting headline.