Do all companies have to be evil?

The central pillar of Google’s code of conduct is its now familiar slogan, “Don’t Be Evil.” But what does this phrase really mean? “It means making sure that our core values inform our conduct in all aspects of our lives as Google employees,” according to the code of conduct posted on Google’s Web site. And what are those core values? Brin and Page’s answer shows how markets can be moral when they are grounded in a foundation of trust. “Being a Googler means holding yourself to the highest possible standard of ethical business conduct. This is a matter as much practical as ethical; we hire great people who work hard to build great products, but our most important asset by far is our reputation as a company that warrants our users’ faith and trust.