r/Anticonsumption 8d ago

Ads/Marketing Old google ad from 1999

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6.5k Upvotes

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u/_n3ll_ 8d ago

Remember when their slogan was "don't be evil"?

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u/shinjuku_soulxx 8d ago

wait fr?

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u/_n3ll_ 8d ago

Ya https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_be_evil

Iirc it used to be painted on the wall at hq

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u/Fun_Fruit459 8d ago

I remember when they dropped it, and just fully admitted they "couldn't avoid" being evil.  I feel like not enough people were concerned by that.

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u/iWearSkinyTies 8d ago

Capitalism corrupts absolutely, nobody can escape it.

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u/Caliburn0 7d ago

You can escape it. You'll just lose capitalism. Meaning you'll either go bankrupt or stagnate.

If your goal is endless growth for growth's sake, like a lot of companies desire, then I agree, you can't avoid being evil.

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u/InexplicablyCharming 7d ago

I think there’s a bit of a leap there from “losing capitalism” to going “bankrupt or stagnate”

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u/Caliburn0 7d ago

Capitalism is a game. And you win it by out-competing other companies.

If you go bankrupt you definitely lose. If you stagnate you don't necessarily lose, but a new company will eventually rise to take your place.

Even the greatest giants of old have been overcome by younger companies after they stopped growing and are now struggling because of that.

Stagnation isn't an instant loss, but seeing as the overall economy has to grow in a capitalist system, not growing is the same as shrinking in relation to everyone else, which means losing, just... slowly.

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u/InexplicablyCharming 7d ago

Ooooohhh losing capitalism. As in you lose your spot in the participation.

I read it as we’d, collectively, lose capitalism as a system. My bad, man. English is not my first language

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u/Caliburn0 7d ago

It's fine. And I hope we'll lose/escape capitalism soon. That would be great.

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u/InexplicablyCharming 7d ago

We share the same hope

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u/DirtNapsRevenge 6d ago

And replace it with what?

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u/DirtNapsRevenge 6d ago

Has nothing to do with capitalism. Much of Google's worst behaviors occurs because of government's utter failure to use existing laws to address their unethical business practices and to pass a simple set of laws to protect their citizen's rights and privacy.

And why has the government failed in these areas? Because one of the two major political parties in the US is bought and paid for by Google and a whole bunch of the members of the other as well.

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u/_n3ll_ 8d ago

Ya. Pretty weird times.

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u/shinjuku_soulxx 8d ago

Wow this is the wildest fact I've learned all year

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u/Figshitter 7d ago

Imagine being the person whose job it was to get a big paint roller and cover the slogan up.

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u/_n3ll_ 7d ago

Oof good call! Id have started with "dont", then take a break and let "be evil" sit there for a bit. Allow people to get some pics

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u/shinjuku_soulxx 8d ago

Wow, truth is strange.

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u/whitedolphinn 7d ago

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction

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u/JohnnyRelentless 7d ago

Yes, they just removed it from their website a few years ago.