Comments on: Debate: Does Google Violate its “Don’t Be Evil” Motto? http://michaelzimmer.org/2008/11/18/debate-does-google-violate-its-%e2%80%9cdon%e2%80%99t-be-evil%e2%80%9d-motto/ information ethics : privacy : new media : values in design : 2.0 Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:58:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Siva http://michaelzimmer.org/2008/11/18/debate-does-google-violate-its-%e2%80%9cdon%e2%80%99t-be-evil%e2%80%9d-motto/comment-page-1/#comment-157117 Siva Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:24:07 +0000 http://michaelzimmer.org/?p=942#comment-157117 My side won! The transcript and video will be up on Friday. I will let you know how to post. NYU STILL has my blog down. Bastards. My side won!

The transcript and video will be up on Friday. I will let you know how to post.

NYU STILL has my blog down. Bastards.

]]> By: Michael Zimmer http://michaelzimmer.org/2008/11/18/debate-does-google-violate-its-%e2%80%9cdon%e2%80%99t-be-evil%e2%80%9d-motto/comment-page-1/#comment-157102 Michael Zimmer Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:01:03 +0000 http://michaelzimmer.org/?p=942#comment-157102 Well said, Ryan. Well said, Ryan.

]]> By: Ryan Shaw http://michaelzimmer.org/2008/11/18/debate-does-google-violate-its-%e2%80%9cdon%e2%80%99t-be-evil%e2%80%9d-motto/comment-page-1/#comment-157101 Ryan Shaw Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:48:24 +0000 http://michaelzimmer.org/?p=942#comment-157101 One of the concerns I've always had about the "don't be evil" motto is that it reflects a very naive conception of human behavior and the various forces that influence it. As I understand it, the motto was a reaction to the perception (especially among the technorati) of Microsoft at the time as an "evil empire." But there was no recognition of any underlying reasons why Microsoft might have become "evil," just aspersions cast on the characters of its executives. Microsoft was evil because the people who ran it were evil, so Google could be good if the people who ran it were good. If the computer scientists who founded Google had ever been exposed to any social science, they might have considered that what led to Microsoft's "evil" behavior was not character flaws, but the logic of late capitalism. Then they might have thought about how to design an organization that could be "good" not by virtue of its executives virtue, but in spite of its executive's greed. That is what the founders of the United States did--they assumed the worst of their leaders and tried to design a system that would continue to function well in spite of their potential for evil. The naivete of Google's founders continues to haunt us all, as Google continues to put itself in positions where it has the potential to do great harm and asks us to believe that because its leaders are virtuous we have nothing to fear. If they had a better understanding of human behavior they would understand that the best way to prevent "evil" is to avoid creating situations where doing evil is possible. One of the concerns I’ve always had about the “don’t be evil” motto is that it reflects a very naive conception of human behavior and the various forces that influence it. As I understand it, the motto was a reaction to the perception (especially among the technorati) of Microsoft at the time as an “evil empire.” But there was no recognition of any underlying reasons why Microsoft might have become “evil,” just aspersions cast on the characters of its executives. Microsoft was evil because the people who ran it were evil, so Google could be good if the people who ran it were good.

If the computer scientists who founded Google had ever been exposed to any social science, they might have considered that what led to Microsoft’s “evil” behavior was not character flaws, but the logic of late capitalism. Then they might have thought about how to design an organization that could be “good” not by virtue of its executives virtue, but in spite of its executive’s greed. That is what the founders of the United States did–they assumed the worst of their leaders and tried to design a system that would continue to function well in spite of their potential for evil.

The naivete of Google’s founders continues to haunt us all, as Google continues to put itself in positions where it has the potential to do great harm and asks us to believe that because its leaders are virtuous we have nothing to fear. If they had a better understanding of human behavior they would understand that the best way to prevent “evil” is to avoid creating situations where doing evil is possible.

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