But Google's founders don't regret being evil because of moral principles. It's about the bottom line [emphasis added]:
Google's decision to censor its search engine in China was bad for the company, its founders admitted yesterday. Google, launched in 1998 by two Stanford University dropouts, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, was accused of selling out and reneging on its "Don't be evil" motto when it launched in China in 2005. The company modified the version of its search engine in China to exclude controversial topics such as the Tiananmen Square massacre or the Falun Gong movement, provoking a backlash in its core western markets.
Asked whether he regretted the decision, Mr Brin admitted yesterday: "On a business level, that decision to censor... was a net negative."
So, they don't regret being evil because they've helped a communist regime oppress their people, they regret being evil because it affected their profit margins.
No word yet on whether Google regrets being evil by supporting jihadi propaganda and suppressing American counter-propaganda on their popular YouTube subsidiary. Maybe they'll decide after YouTube's next profit and loss statement.
