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‘Don’t be evil’: Google’s iconic mantra comes into question at labor trial

The ethos has set Google apart from other companies for decades. It’s under the spotlight again.

Last month, software engineer Kyle Dhillon said during a labor board trial that «Don’t be evil,» Google’s famous corporate mantra, had lured him to the tech giant five years ago.

The motto appealed to the Princeton grad because it showed Google was aware of its own power. It underscored, Dhillon said, the delicate work it takes to keep a big company like Google honest.

«Recognizing ‘Don’t be evil’ as one of its core values shows that it’s aware it’s possible for us to become evil,» Dhillon told a National Labor Relations Board attorney in response to a question about whether the motto played a role in his decision to join the search giant. «And it would be quite natural, in fact.»

The brief exhortation, which Google has deemphasized in recent years, is now a focal point in an NLRB complaint against the company that alleges the tech giant wrongly fired five employees for their labor activism. The employees had protested actions by Google, including its hiring of a consultancy with a history of anti-union efforts and its work with US Customs and Border Protection. Dhillon isn’t one of the fired employees, but he received a final warning from the company that the NLRB contends was illegal.

By untangling Google’s labor policies, the proceedings have shined a light on the tech giant’s famous work culture, which in turn has prompted a close look at Google’s iconic mantra. The result has been a public rumination on the company’s North Star set against the backdrop of a high-profile legal forum.

The tech giant has denied wrongdoing. The trial, which began on Aug. 23, is ongoing. One of the fired employees, Laurence Berland, has privately settled with the company.

Google isn’t alone in adopting an unorthodox mantra. Apple’s grammatically distinctive «Think different» advertising campaign was eventually embraced as a de facto corporate motto. Facebook’s former motto was «Move fast and break things,» an expression evoking permission — celebration even — of recklessness. Still, Google’s corporate motto has always been an outlier. It’s simultaneously tongue in cheek, befitting a company that pioneered freewheeling workplace culture with free food and slides in lobbies, yet powerfully solemn.

And so with it came a higher standard, said Irina Raicu, director of the Internet Ethics Program at Santa Clara University’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

«It raised employee expectations that the company would be different,» Raicu said. «It invited a certain kind of employee to join.»

Google didn’t respond to a request for comment.

‘A jab at other companies’

Like any piece of great folklore, differing accounts of who coined «Don’t be evil» are told. But credit is usually given to Paul Buchheit and Amit Patel, two early Google employees. Buchheit, who created Gmail, has said he came up with the slogan during a meeting in early 2000 to define company values.

«I was sitting there trying to think of something that would be really different and not one of these usual ‘Strive for excellence’ type of statements,» Buchheit said in 2007. «It’s also a bit of a jab at a lot of the other companies, especially our competitors, who at the time, in our opinion, were kind of exploiting the users to some extent.»

After the meeting, Patel began writing the phrase on whiteboards around Google’s Mountain View, California, campus, trying to make the slogan stick. It did. The phrase eventually made it into Google’s code of conduct. It’s now one of the best-known corporate slogans in the world.

Buchheit and Patel didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.

Since its inception, the motto has expanded from a guiding principle for product development and policies to a rallying cry for Google’s critics, some of the toughest being the company’s own workers. Employees say the mantra has served as the linchpin for some of the workforce’s most notable protests. That includes activism regarding now-shuttered plans for a censored Chinese search product, a contract with the Pentagon for tech that could improve the accuracy of drone strikes, and the company’s handling of sexual misconduct claims directed at senior executives. At some demonstrations, workers have held up signs that say «Don’t be evil.»

As Google has grown bigger and increasingly steeped in controversy, its dedication to the mantra has repeatedly come under question. Last week, The New York Times and The Guardian reported that Google knowingly underpaid temp workers, but decided not to fully correct the situation because it feared negative press attention. In response, Google workers wrote an open letter to leadership, including CEO Sundar Pichai, demanding the company fork over the $100 million in back pay it allegedly owes its temps.

«For much of Google’s workforce, ‘Don’t be evil’ is a smokescreen,» the letter says. «It’s a way to reap the financial rewards of unquestioning public faith, by assuring investors, users and government entities that Google is trustworthy and friendly — while successfully underpaying and mistreating the majority of their workers.»

‘It’s not enough not to be evil’

In 2004, as Google prepared to go public, co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin expounded on the motto in an interview with Playboy. The interview is excerpted in Google’s prospectus filing.

Brin: As for «Don’t be evil,» we have tried to define precisely what it means to be a force for good—always do the right, ethical thing. Ultimately, «Don’t be evil» seems the easiest way to summarize it.

Page: Apparently people like it better than «Be good.»

Brin: It’s not enough not to be evil. We also actively try to be good.

That attitude still resonates with Google’s rank and file today. At the labor board trial, Sophie Waldman, one of the employees who was allegedly wrongfully terminated, said it’s what attracted her to the company in the first place. «That was an important factor,» Waldman testified. «I’ve always cared a lot about making sure my work has a positive, or at the very worst, neutral impact on the world.»

Waldman said she kept the phrase in mind as she went on with her everyday work of trying to improve search results. Other employees also talked about the practical applications of the mantra, as opposed to just a pie-in-the-sky ideal.

«It made it sound like the company had somewhat of a conscience,» said Eddie Gryster, a Google software engineer. «It meant to me that at the time Google was basically saying, ‘Hey, that is good business for us to not be evil,’ and to do the right thing helps us maintain trust with users.»

Some people worry that Google, with its trillion-dollar valuation and headcount of more than 135,000 full-time employees, is moving away from that ethos. In 2015, after Page and Brin created Alphabet, a holding company for Google, the phrase was moved from the beginning of Google’s code of conduct to the end of it. Critics saw it as a demotion of the principle, an afterthought in the last sentence of a 6,500-word document. «And remember… don’t be evil, and if you see something that you think isn’t right – speak up!» the guidelines say.

The broader code of conduct for Alphabet makes no mention of the phrase.

The cynical view is that such a mantra is outdated in modern Silicon Valley, as the industry struggles to contain disinformation, election interference and other abuses. Still, Google employees have taken «Don’t be evil» to heart, as well as the last two words of the revised code of conduct: speak up. They did so by engaging in legally protected actions, the NLRB argues.

So, employees say, the mantra is at the core of why Google is on trial in the first place.

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Act Fast to Save $50 on This Baseus Blade 6-in-1 Power Strip and Get 2 Free 45W USB-C Chargers

Optimize your workspace with this Baseus Blade charging station and free Amazon goodies with purchase.

If you love smart home devices or rely heavily on your portable devices to help you get through the day, then you that a shortage of electrical outlets can be inconvenient. Luckily, Baseus is behind some nifty charging devices that can help you solve this issue and make sure every one of your devices can get its duly needed recharge. We’ve spotted the Baseus Blade 140W charging station for just $70 right now. This saves you $30 and even better, Amazon is including two free 45W USB-C chargers as well. Not only is this a great opportunity to save on this charging device, you might also be able to avoid potentially rising costs due to tariffs on electronic devices and accessories.

This Baseus Blade charging station is a 6-in-1 powerhouse with two electrical outlets, one USB-A port and three USB-C ports for a convenient place to charge your laptop, tablet, smartphone, lamp and other necessary work devices. Its smart display also shows you how much power is being distributed per port.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

Thanks to its GaN technology, this charging station is safe to use and is built to prevent overheating and keep your devices safe. Amazon is also throwing in two 45W charging blocks valued at $35, which makes this deal even sweeter and lets you charge even more devices.

Looking for charging devices but not sure if this deal is right for you? Check out our list of the best USB-C chargers, docks, hubs and more.

Why this deal matters

This Baseus Blade 6-in-1 charging station is not only $30 off, it also includes two 45W charging blocks so you can expand your charging options at home or during travels. That makes now a great time to stock up and potentially save before tariffs start affecting the price of electronic goods and accessories.

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Before Apple’s Expected iOS 19 Reveal, Here’s What to Know About iOS 18.5

Here are all the new features you should know about in the latest iPhone update.

Apple is holding its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9, where we will likely get a glimpse of the upcoming iOS 19. Before that announcement, Apple released iOS 18.5 on May 12, more than a month after the company released iOS 18.4. While iOS 18.4 brought more emoji to all iPhones, this latest update adds just a few small changes and a new Pride wallpaper to your iPhone. The update also includes some bug fixes and security patches everyone should download to help keep their device secure. 

Read more: What CNET’s Experts Hope to See in iOS 19

You can download iOS 18.5 by going to Settings > General > Software Update, then tapping Update Now and following the prompts on your screen.

Here’s what iOS 18.5 brings to your iPhone. Just a reminder, only people with an iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max or the iPhone 16 lineup can access Apple Intelligence for now. If you have any other iPhone, you won’t have access to those features.

New Pride wallpaper

Apple releases a new Pride wallpaper ahead of Pride Month every year, and this year is no different. iOS 18.5 includes the latest iteration of the wallpaper, «Pride Harmony,» which features bold stripes that shift and change position as you move. 

iOS 18.5 tweaks Mail options

Apple introduced a few Mail app updates in iOS 18.5. One of those updates makes it easier to adjust the app’s settings by showing or hiding contact photos in Mail. Contact photos are the images to the left of emails that help identify senders. 

Mail will show Contact Posters by default, but you can turn them off from within the app with iOS 18.5. To do so, open Mail, tap the three dots (…) in the top-right corner of your screen, and then tap Show Contact Photos. Now, all your emails will just show the subject line and a preview of the message, similar to how Mail looked before iOS 18.

This option is in iOS 18.4, but it’s buried in Settings and not easy to locate. 

Another update concerns Categories. If the mode is enabled, you can see a small tab on the right side of your screen near the other categories. Swipe the categories bar near the top of Mail to the left, and this small tab will expand to reveal the category All Mail. When you swipe left to view All Mail, it will automatically be selected, and you’ll need to tap one of the other Categories to unselect All Mail.

This category isn’t new; you could find it in iOS 18.4. But, there was no small tab on the right side of your screen to signal it was present off-screen. Therefore, All Mail flew under the radar — I didn’t even know the option was there until beta versions of iOS 18.5.

This category appears to be a way to simultaneously enable Categories and List View — the pre-Categories view of Mail. When you use All Mail, you’re viewing your messages without any categorization, like in List View.

Satellite features for all iPhone 13 models

Apple’s iOS 18.5 also brings certain satellite features, like messaging, to the iPhone 13 lineup. That means if you go off the grid, you could still text people to let them know where you are. However, these features on iPhone 13 models are carrier dependent, and currently only T-Mobile offers them in the US via Starlink. 

T-Mobile Starlink is in beta, and the beta is free and open to anyone until July, including people on other carrier plans. After July, it will be part of the T-Mobile Experience Beyond and Go5G Next plans. People with other carriers, like Verizon and AT&T, will then be able to access the system for $10 a month. 

Back Tap banner

The iOS 18.5 update also introduces the option to display a banner using the Back Tap function. Back Tap turns the Apple logo on the back of your iPhone into a usable button that can open your camera, take a screenshot and more when you double- or triple-tap it. And with iOS 18.5, you can make your iPhone display a banner whenever you use Back Tap.

To enable the banner, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap and tap the toggle next to Show Banner. If you enable the banner and use Back Tap, the banner will appear across the top of your screen and read, «Back Tap Double/Triple Tap detected.»

iOS 18.5 release notes

Here are the full release notes for iOS 18.5.

This update also includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:

  • A new Pride Harmony wallpaper.
  • Parents now receive a notification when the Screen Time passcode is used on a child’s device.
  • Buy with iPhone is available when purchasing content within the Apple TV app on a third-party device.
  • Fixes an issue where the Apple Vision Pro app may display a black screen.
  • Support for carrier-provided satellite features is available on iPhone 13 (all models). For more information, visit: 
    https://support.apple.com/122339.

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit: 
https://support.apple.com/100100

For more iOS news, here’s what features were included in iOS 18.4 and iOS 18.3. You can also check out our iOS 18 cheat sheet and what we hope to see in iOS 19.

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These 10 Hacks Could Be the End of Your Terrible Signal Forever

Say goodbye to weak bars with these reception-boosting hacks.

There’s nothing worse than being in the middle of a road trip and realizing your cell signal has dropped out. No GPS, no music and no way to call for help if something goes wrong. A weak signal can cause all kinds of problems, but the good news is that there are a few quick fixes that might get you back online fast.

Whether you’re using an iPhone or Android, these simple hacks can help boost your reception and keep you connected when you need it most.

Whether you’re doing some routine phone maintenance or you’re stuck in an emergency, there are multiple ways to improve your reception on an iPhone or Android phone, no matter what type of phone plan you’re on. It might even come down to something as simple as toggling Airplane mode. 

To go from dropped calls to full bars, here’s what you need to know.

Note: Although software across different iPhone models is relatively the same, Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel and other Android phones may have different software versions, so certain settings and where they are located might differ depending on device.

For more, check out how you can use Google Maps when you’re offline and how you can maybe fix your internet when it’s down.

To improve your cellphone service, try these steps first

The settings on your phone can help you get better cell service, but there are other tricks for improving your reception without even touching your phone’s software.

  • Move yourself so that there are no obstructions between your phone and any cell towers outside. That might involve stepping away from metal objects or concrete walls, which both kill reception. Instead, get to a window or go outside if possible.
  • Remove your phone case. It doesn’t hurt to remove whatever case you have on your phone, especially if it’s thick, so that the phone’s antenna isn’t blocked by anything and can get a better signal.
  • Make sure your phone is charged. Searching for and connecting to a stronger signal drains power, so if your phone battery is already low on charge, you may have a difficult time getting good service.

Always start by turning Airplane mode on and off

Turning your phone’s connection off and then back on is the quickest and easiest way to try and fix your signal woes. If you’re moving around from one location to another, toggling Airplane mode restarts the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cellular network modems, which forces them to find the best signal in the area.

Android: Swipe down from the top of your screen — to access the Quick Settings panel — and then tap the Airplane mode icon. Wait for your phone to completely disconnect from its Wi-Fi and cellular connections. It doesn’t happen instantly, so give it a good 15 seconds before you tap on the Airplane mode icon again.

iPhone: On the iPhone, you can access Airplane mode from the Control Center, but that varies depending on which iPhone model you have. On the iPhone X and later, swipe down from the top-right corner to access the Control Center. On older iPhone models, swipe up from the bottom of the screen. Then tap the Airplane mode icon, which will turn orange when it’s enabled. Again, wait up to 15 seconds before turning it off.

If Airplane mode doesn’t work, restart your phone

Our phones are miniature computers, and just like computers, sometimes you can fix issues like network connection by simply restarting them.

Android: Hold down the power button, or the power button and the volume down key (depending on your Android phone), until the on-screen menu shows up, and then tap Restart. If your phone doesn’t offer a restart option, you can simply tap Power Off to shut down your device, and then boot it back up with the power button.

iPhone: On the iPhone X and older models, hold down the sleep/wake button and either one of the volume buttons and then swipe right on the power slider to turn off the device. Wait until it fully turns off, then press down on the sleep/wake button to turn it back on. 

Alternatively, you can do a force reset on your iPhone: Press the volume up button, followed by the volume down button and then press and hold the side button. Keep holding it in, after your phone’s screen goes black and until you see the Apple logo appear again. 

If your iPhone has a home button, hold down the sleep/wake button until the power slider is displayed and then drag the slider to the right. Once the device is turned off, press and hold the sleep/wake button until you see the Apple logo. 

Older phone? Take your SIM card out

Another troubleshooting step that might help is to remove your SIM card, if your phone has one, and then place it back in with the phone turned on. If the SIM card is dirty, clean it. If it has any physical defects, you may need to replace it.

You’ll need a SIM card tool — usually included in your phone’s box — or an unfolded paper clip or sewing needle to get the SIM tray out of your phone.

All phones: Remove the SIM card, check to see if it’s damaged and positioned in the SIM tray correctly, then put it back in your phone.

eSIM: For phones with an eSIM — that is, an embedded electronic SIM in your phone — there’s nothing for you to remove. The best you can do is restart your phone.

Check your carrier settings (and update your software)

Mobile carriers frequently send out carrier settings updates to help improve connectivity for calls, data and messages on their network. Although this feature is available on all iPhone models, it’s not universal on Android, so you might not find carrier settings if you don’t have a supported phone.

iPhone: Carrier updates should just appear, and you can update from the pop-up message that appears. To force your iPhone to check for a carrier settings update, go to Settings > General > About on your phone. If an update is available, you’ll be prompted to install it.

Android: As mentioned before, not all Android phones have carrier settings, so you’ll have to open the Settings app and type in «carrier settings» to find any possible updates. On supported Pixels, go to Settings > Network & internet > Internet, tap the gear next to your carrier name and then tap Carrier settings versions.

Reset your phone’s network settings

Sometimes all you need is a clean slate to fix an annoying connectivity issue. Refreshing your phone’s network settings is one way to do that. But be forewarned, resetting your network settings will also reset any saved Wi-Fi passwords, VPN connections and custom APN settings for those on carriers that require additional setup.

Android: In the Settings app, search for «reset» or more specifically «reset network settings» and tap on the setting. On the Pixel, the setting is called Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth. After you reset your network settings, remember to reconnect your phone to your home and work Wi-Fi networks.

iPhone: Go to Settings > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network settings. The next page will warn you that resetting your network settings will reset your settings for Wi-Fi, mobile data and Bluetooth. Tap Reset Network Settings and your phone will restart.

Contact your phone carrier

Sometimes unexpected signal issues can be traced back to problems with your wireless carrier. A cell tower could be down, or the tower’s fiber optic cable could have been cut, causing an outage.

For consistent problems connecting to or staying connected to a cellular or data network, it’s possible your carrier’s coverage doesn’t extend well into your neighborhood. 

Other times, a newfound signal issue can be due to a defect with your phone or a SIM card that’s gone bad. Contacting your carrier to begin troubleshooting after you’ve tried these fixes is the next best step to resolving your spotty signal.

If all else fails, try a signal booster to improve cell reception

If after going through all of our troubleshooting steps, including talking to your carrier to go over your options, you’re still struggling to keep a good signal — try a booster. A signal booster receives the same cellular signal your carrier uses, then amplifies it just enough to provide coverage in a room or your entire house. 

The big downside here is the cost. Wilson has three different boosters designed for home use, ranging in price from $349 for single room coverage to $999 to cover your entire home. To be clear, we haven’t specifically tested these models. Wilson offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and a two-year warranty should you have any trouble with its products. 

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