Don’t be evil, but more importantly, don’t miss the train either

The New York Times explores Google’s dilemma:

“You want a company culture that says, ‘We are on a mission to change the world; the world is a better place because of us,’” says Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn and a venture capitalist with Greylock Partners. “It’s not just ‘we create jobs.’ A tobacco company can do that.”

“These companies give away a ton of value, a public good, with free products like Google search, that transforms cultures,” Mr. Hoffman says. “The easy thing to say is, ‘If you try to regulate us, you’ll do more harm than good, you’re not good social architects.’ I’m not endorsing that, but I understand it.”

Sun is a good example of a company that went to its grave not being evil.