What “Do No Evil” Really Means

Internet companies keep throwing around this slogan… “do no evil“. Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc etc.

Let’s face it. Internet is no different than TV, radio, newspaper, or even junk mail. It’s just a communication medium. It ain’t gonna change the world. The only way you can change your world is if you DO something to your life, not some internet company doing some fancy web-2.0-platform-thing-a-magic to you. Don’t believe me? Ask the homeless guy in SF underneath the 101 on-ramp and ask him if internet has changed his life.

To most silicon valley internet people, “do no evil” means work for free. And if you are gonna put ads, make sure it’s on the side or bottom where no one will look. And god forbid, you promote via affiliate links. No No. You can’t be seen as a commercialized, money grubbing, greedy capitalist. God forbid that a BUSINESS startup make money. Gawd no.

Sure, some companies (starts with Z, rhymes with “ynga”) have been known to run some scammy offers on their games… but let’s face it. They run it because they, well, work. Not to say that scams are any sort of legitimate business or that I would run them myself.

Let’s the face the reality. Scams work because a lot (if not most) people are stupid enough to think that they CAN really lose 200 lbs. eating acai berries and not moving one single inch off the damn couch. People DO believe that if you sign up for that Carleton Sheets real estate program, that they’ll get rich (by not doing anything other than buying the damn program) and they’re gonna trade toupee with Donald Trump. People (guys) DO believe that they are gonna find a f*ck buddy online who’ll, in real life, will never give them the time of the day…

.. but only if you pay $19.95 monthly… or sign up for this free trial offer… or hand over his/her cell phone number.

I am not the smartest man on earth (in fact, if you read my posts, i am quite the opposite), but I do know that there is no such thing as reward without work. No free lunch without a catch. No hot biatch ass tapping w/o paying $200/hr and getting burning peeing sensation the morning after. Nobody taught me this. I just use my gut instinct.

So why shouldn’t this apply to internet users? Why ONLY keep the companies accountable? Makes no sense. Yes, some of these companies’ actions are, well, shady. But no one put a gun to these users heads and said “sign up for this offer or die”. These people have no will power or self control. That’s why scams work.

Do no evil means… treat anyone and everyone that comes to your app/website like an idiot. Even if that means making zero profit.

To all you journalists who keep talking smack, just so you can get some attention and some traffic to your site, know this. Statues are made to honor those who take risks, build great things (like companies) and heroes, not cynics and sarcastic journalists and bloggers.

(Oh wait, that’s me.)