--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think Google's founders are both a…" description: "\"I think Google's founders are both a couple of guys with some high ideals which have been to some degree reflected in the way the company has been run ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/427/joel-bakan-28438_able_i-think-google-s-founders-are-both-a-cou_2765102.jpg" --- # I think Google's founders are both a couple of guys with… ![“I think Google's founders are both a couple of guys with some high ideals which have been to some degree reflected in the way the company has been run in terms of its having a very good workplace and good employee programs, and now that they're going public they want in some ways to be able to…” quote by Joel Bakan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/427/joel-bakan-28438_able_i-think-google-s-founders-are-both-a-cou_2765102.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/427/joel-bakan-28438_able_i-think-google-s-founders-are-both-a-cou_2765102.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/427/joel-bakan-28438_able_i-think-google-s-founders-are-both-a-cou_2765102.jpg) > “I think Google's founders are both a couple of guys with some high ideals which have been to some degree reflected in the way the company has been run in terms of its having a very good workplace and good employee programs, and now that they're going public they want in some ways to be able to ensure that that kind of approach continues. So they've effectively put in place this notion of "Don't Be Evil".” [Joel Bakan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-bakan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Corporate ideals like “Don’t Be Evil” aim to shape culture but can be challenged by profit motives. **In simple terms:** Corporate ethics face profit pressure. Key Takeaway Uphold ethical standards. Themes business ethics culture Mood critical analytical Type journalistic ethical When to use this quote - company policy - public scrutiny - employee conduct Key Concepts corporate governance social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can you hold companies accountable? - What ethical standards matter most? A Different Perspective Ethics can be compromised by shareholders. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Couple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couple/) [Employee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employee/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Founders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/founders/) [Ideals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideals/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Workplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/workplace/) ## Related quotes > [Google's founders have had a good eye for imagining what technologies will be significant in the near future. No one asked Google to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/google-s-founders-have-had-a-good-eye-for-imagining-what-technologies/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [60% of workers surveyed said if their employer took action to support the mental wellbeing of all staff, they would feel more loyal, motivated,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-farmer/60-of-workers-surveyed-said-if-their-employer-took-action-to-support/) [Paul Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-farmer/) > [The workplace can be a good place to find opportunities to socialise, but what if you don't meet any like-minded people there, or what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/the-workplace-can-be-a-good-place-to-find-opportunities-to-socialise/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [“After several rounds of interviews with Google’s founders, they offered me a job. My bank account was diminishing quickly, so it was time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/after-several-rounds-of-interviews-with-google-s-founders-they/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [The most interesting thing about Google is its founders hated advertising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/the-most-interesting-thing-about-google-is-its-founders-hated/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [“A method of schooling founded by the Italian educator Maria Montessori that emphasizes collaborative, explorative learning, and whose alumni include Google’s founders, Sergey Brin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-coyle/a-method-of-schooling-founded-by-the-italian-educator-maria/) [Daniel Coyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-coyle/) > [You know, I think the greatest gift in the world is a good employee, you know, or people who can do your work for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-rogers/you-know-i-think-the-greatest-gift-in-the-world-is-a-good-employee/) [Kenny Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-rogers/) > [“More people should aspire to be a good employee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr-ceo-of-mayflower-plymouth/more-people-should-aspire-to-be-a-good-employee/) [Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr, CEO of Mayflower-Plymouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr-ceo-of-mayflower-plymouth/) > [“There is beauty in being a good employee. Most people can achieve more greatness as an employee than they ever could as an entrepreneur.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr/there-is-beauty-in-being-a-good-employee-most-people-can-achieve-more/) [Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr/) > [“I don’t really care about being sweet to people who don’t look out for their employees interests. You know things like that get you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sai-marie-johnson/i-don-t-really-care-about-being-sweet-to-people-who-don-t-look-out/) [Sai Marie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sai-marie-johnson/) > [I was a hostess in a restaurant in New York when I was 21, and I was too good of an employee. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/i-was-a-hostess-in-a-restaurant-in-new-york-when-i-was-21-and-i-was/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [A good education prepares a child to be a good employee and a good citizen-in that order, with the importance of the former never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cullen-hightower/a-good-education-prepares-a-child-to-be-a-good-employee-and-a-good/) [Cullen Hightower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cullen-hightower/) > [I only wanted to be a good employee who generated as much profit as possible for his employer. I was merely a small cog…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kerviel/i-only-wanted-to-be-a-good-employee-who-generated-as-much-profit-as/) [Jerome Kerviel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kerviel/) > [“Being a good employee is a service to the whole economy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr-ceo-of-mayflower-plymouth/being-a-good-employee-is-a-service-to-the-whole-economy/) [Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr, CEO of Mayflower-Plymouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr-ceo-of-mayflower-plymouth/) > [So, being a good man is not an exam or a qualification, it changes, and it incorporates being a good friend, a good father,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/so-being-a-good-man-is-not-an-exam-or-a-qualification-it-changes-and/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) ## More by Joel Bakan > [The corporation is not an independent "person" with its own rights, needs, and desires that regulators must respect. It is a state created tool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-bakan/the-corporation-is-not-an-independent-person-with-its-own-rights/) [Joel Bakan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-bakan/) > [The corporation, like the psychopathic personality it resembles, is programmed to exploit others for profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-bakan/the-corporation-like-the-psychopathic-personality-it-resembles-is/) [Joel Bakan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-bakan/) > [As a psychopathic creature, the corporation can neither recognize nor act upon moral reasons to refrain from harming others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-bakan/as-a-psychopathic-creature-the-corporation-can-neither-recognize-nor/) [Joel Bakan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-bakan/) > [“The problem with capitalism is that "we have a global theology without morality, without a Bible." 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Ford still stands for the legal principal that managers and directors have a legal duty to put the shareholders' interests above all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-bakan/dodge-v-ford-still-stands-for-the-legal-principal-that-managers-and/) [Joel Bakan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-bakan/) > [These are the elements of an emerging order that may prove to be as dangerous as any fundamentalism that history has produced. For in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-bakan/these-are-the-elements-of-an-emerging-order-that-may-prove-to-be-as/) [Joel Bakan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-bakan/) > [Governments can can send inspectors to companies. Governments can put legal requirements in place to disclose information that consumers and workers and other interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-bakan/governments-can-can-send-inspectors-to-companies-governments-can-put/) [Joel Bakan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-bakan/) > [The whole difficulty I think that that we're facing now is the question of who is going to ensure that corporations are accountable. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-bakan/the-whole-difficulty-i-think-that-that-we-re-facing-now-is-the/) [Joel Bakan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-bakan/) > [As the corporation's size and power grew, so did the need to assuage people's fears of it. 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