The evil-doers never see themselves as evil: they seem themselves as heroes. The worst men in history saw themselves as so important, so great, that they could not be and should not be restrained by the laws that apply to others. Isn’t that how Google sees itself?
Did you know they dropped their motto "Don't be evil" recently? Neither had I until today. Don't get me wrong. I have always been a great fan of Google, all the way back in beta days. They were the best thing to happen to search since Alta Vista (ok, I know I'm dating myself there!). I especially loved the fact that they ran Linux back when very few did. But, of late I have been concerned about certain trends. A quote from the article says it better than I could:
The company has become a true believer in its own goodness, a belief which justifies its own set of rules regarding corporate ethics, anti-competiton, customer service and its place in society. Tellingly, Google has set aside its “Don’t Be Evil” motto at the very time in which its actions increasingly look evil — all the more so for it protestations that it needs the dominance it claims for the good of the public, the good of the Internet, the good of the world.
<idle musing>
There is a ton of interesting theology here, isn't there? No one wants to believe they are depraved—after all, they are doing so much good! Yet, at the bottom, the core philosophy is always, "we know better than -----" (fill in the blank however you wish). Humanity still wants to be its own God. The fall of Google into evil shouldn't surprise us, anymore than the fall of any other human institution or individual; it is hard-wired into our existence ever since the Fall (Genesis 3).
</idle musing>
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