When are people going to give up this notion that companies are evil or good? Companies try to make money and crush those that try to stop them. it's just when you're big, you get to do the crushing. When you're little, you're dodging giant feet trying to step on you.
Google and Apple are now unquestionably large. And they are crushing things that stand in their way.
Just remember, "Don't be evil" as a motto to make money. Until you can no longer make sufficient money with the motto. Then being evil is almost certainly the only way.
When are people going to give up this notion that companies are evil or good?
Hey, I didn't start it, Google did. If a politician stands up and says, "Elect me because I'll do the best backroom deals for you, my constituent," you know what you're getting. You don't elect her and then complain that she's in bed with lobbyists.
But when she calls for transparency in government and bringing a new broom to the legislature, you have every right to be outraged when she's discovered steering fat consulting contracts to her college buddies.
It's not an issue of whether Google is evil. It's an issue of whether Google is Hypocritical.
"companies are living, complex organisms and not profit machines. The profit should therefore not be the object of a company, but rather a result of good work. Just like a person can't survive for long without food and water, a company can't survive without profits. Not that I would ever reduce the purpose of a human to that, as eating and drinking are the only prerequisites for a meaningful life."
"When we search for organizations that have the capacity and ability to improve our world, global companies are at the top of the list. In particular integrated global corporations are in an ideal position to support developing countries to close the gap to leading national economies." http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/362-exclusive-interview--...
Organizations are not individuals. Organizations are composed of individuals. One individual in one part of the company can do good thing, while another individual can do something. It is still important to realize that the design and structure of organizations influence the behaviors of individuals.
However, it is also important to realize that all organizations, not just corporations, wishes to grow to sustain its members. They will grow and change. They will continue to exists even long after their purpose is accomplished. Sometime, organizations get cancers that rotten them to the core, much like the RIAA, the MPAA, and California. Sometime that's due to the rules being modified or being poor in the first place.
Giants guy hate cannibalizing their business. They're so big that they move very slowly. They may get economy of scale, but they also got dis-economy of scale. New guys are not constrained by traditions or size inefficiency. So they will be able to seize opportunities left or cannot be reached by giant people. So giant guys don't always have the advantage. There is a place for the small mammals in the world of dinosaurs.
> When are people going to give up this notion that companies are evil or good? Companies try to make money and crush those that try to stop them.
Trying to crush those that oppose you is pretty evil, all things considered. Particularly for a cause as banal as trying to make more money (usually when you do not even need to) rather than, say, fighting space aliens.
Google and Apple are now unquestionably large. And they are crushing things that stand in their way.
Just remember, "Don't be evil" as a motto to make money. Until you can no longer make sufficient money with the motto. Then being evil is almost certainly the only way.