Don't be Evil

Most observers seem to regard this as a little more than an "unofficial slogan". But its actual status is now rather complicated.

Time magazine reported in October 2015 that following a corporate restructuring, Alphabet Inc. (Google's new parent company) had "dropped the tech giant's "Don't Be Evil" mantra from its code of conduct". According to Wikipedia, "in October 2015, the motto was replaced in the Alphabet corporate code of conduct by the phrase "Do the right thing"; however, the Google code of conduct is still prefaced by the phrase "Don't be evil"".

Quite what Wikipedia means, I'm not sure; it provides a link to the actual Code of Conduct – which doesn't contain the word 'evil'.

Time provides this quote from the Code of Conduct: "Employees of Alphabet and its subsidiaries and controlled affiliates should do the right thing – follow the law, act honorably, and treat each other with respect."

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