How did 'Don't be evil' initially become Google's corporate motto, and what impact did it have on the company's culture?

Ah, speaking of "Don't be evil," this can be said to be the most core and legendary part of Google's early culture.

The birth of this slogan was actually quite grassroots. It wasn't proposed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Google's founders) in a strategic meeting, but rather originated from the spontaneous ideas of early employees. Around 2000, when Google was still a rapidly growing startup, engineers Paul Buchheit (also the founder of Gmail) and Amit Patel introduced this concept during a meeting.

You see, in that era, many large tech companies had a rather negative image, for example, abusing market dominance, bundling unwanted software, and plastering ads everywhere to the detriment of user experience. Google's early employees looked at these "predecessors" and felt a strong resolve: "When we grow big, we absolutely must not become what we despise."

Thus, "Don't be evil" was more like an internal, informal agreement, a "code of conduct" that engineers reminded each other of. Its meaning is simple and direct: when choosing between business interests and user experience, always side with the user; when deciding between a shortcut and the right path, always choose the latter, even if it's more difficult.

This credo had a profound impact on Google's culture:

1. User-first became the supreme principle: The most intuitive example is the Google search homepage. More than two decades later, it remains that extremely minimalist page. It's not that they couldn't add ads, news, or all sorts of flashy things to make money; it's because the "Don't be evil" principle told them that the user's core need is "search," and any behavior that interferes with this need is "evil." Maintaining objective and fair search results, without arbitrarily manipulating rankings for money, is also a manifestation of this principle.

2. Empowering employees with a moral "veto power": Within Google, especially in its early days, any employee who felt that a project or decision the company was making violated the "Don't be evil" principle could rightfully stand up and question it, or even report it to senior management. This gave employees a strong sense of mission and belonging, making them feel they weren't just writing code, but also safeguarding a set of values. This also fostered a culture of internal openness and willingness to debate.

3. Strong brand and talent attraction: Externally, "Don't be evil" became a highly appealing brand story. It made Google stand out among numerous tech companies, imbued with an idealistic spirit. Countless top talents were drawn to this philosophy, believing that joining Google wasn't just for a high-paying job, but also for the ideal of "making the world a better place."

Of course, as Google grew into the massive multinational conglomerate Alphabet, with businesses spanning artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, healthcare, and other fields, the simple three words "Don't be evil" faced increasingly complex challenges. For example, what constitutes "evil" in AI? Are the standards of "evil" the same under different national laws and cultures? Therefore, Alphabet's official code of conduct was later updated to "Do the right thing." While it sounds more mature and "official," it also reflects the company's need for a more inclusive and actionable guideline when dealing with complex global issues.

Nevertheless, the original credo of "Don't be evil" has been deeply etched into Google's DNA, defining the company's initial character and path to success.