One thing I've wondered about "don't be evil" is: what stories does the company tell itself about how that value gets put into practice?
Any value which actually drives organizational behavior in the real world is going to be complex -- complex enough that it cannot be fully conveyed in a 3-word-phrase. This is especially true when the phrase includes such a not-agreed-upon word as "evil". So the ways that the organization expects individuals to apply the phrase need to be explained. From to Lexington the data structure that humans have historically used to store those explanations-of-values is the story. So what stories did Google employees used to tell each other about "don't be evil" and what stories do they tell each other now?
Any value which actually drives organizational behavior in the real world is going to be complex -- complex enough that it cannot be fully conveyed in a 3-word-phrase. This is especially true when the phrase includes such a not-agreed-upon word as "evil". So the ways that the organization expects individuals to apply the phrase need to be explained. From to Lexington the data structure that humans have historically used to store those explanations-of-values is the story. So what stories did Google employees used to tell each other about "don't be evil" and what stories do they tell each other now?