How many of you mentioned your cell phone carrier?
Better yet, how many of you thought Microsoft?
Or maybe, in light of Apple's new subscription policies for their app stores, they came to mind.
Of course we can't forget the scores of other businesses many consider to be evil - insurance companies, big oil companies, technology companies, social networks, government run agencies (think DMV), toy companies... I think you get the idea.
Every company has the potential for being "evil" - to make a mistake that offends their consumers, to forget that the reason they exist is because of customers.
Even companies, such as Google, that have the mantra, "Don't be evil." can still do some pretty evil things. Remember Google Buzz?
"Google's introduction of its Buzz social media tool this week was possibly the most disastrous product debut in the company's 12-year history." according to PCWorld's Robert X. Cringely.
Google Buzz was supposed to be the culmination of a Facebook world combined with a Twitter Universe. The only problem? It didn't offer an option to protect your personal world. Everyone could see who you were talking to and everything you said. Someone forgot about the necessity of everyone to have a personal, private life that is not on display for everyone to see.
Cringely continues to condemn Google in his article by saying the real problem is that Google, in it's largess has "become deeply out of touch."
Ouch!
For a company that prides itself on not being evil, they certainly took a hit on this project. Lucky for Google, the company is so large, it was a relatively minor hit. However, the tech world started to react with reflections on how Google was becoming more like Microsoft.
In fact, Apple's new subscription plan has started a similar talk about how Apple is becoming more like Microsoft.
It is good to know that Microsoft is still considered the tech standard for evil, to which all other companies are compared. It's good to know that you still have a long way to go before people start referencing your company as the evil standard.
The way to avoid this for your company is to remember why you are in business in the first place. The reason should involve your customers. While you may be in business to make money, you can only consistently make money with happy customers and a great product or service. Otherwise, someone else will eventually come along and your customers will start disappearing.
There are a lot of evil companies in the US - go ahead Google them - so make sure you are one of the good ones.
*Scott Adams - Dilbert Comic
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