I heard there was a golden phrase
That Larry spoke in olden days
When all we did was index and retrieval
Well, our mission is to organize
To show the world through data eyes
But through it all, said Larry, "Don't be evil."

Your job was safe, but you looked outdoors
You saw the immigrants, the poor
Get priced out of the Bay by rent and fee bills
They shouted at the Google Bus
While you ran studies on user trust
And on your slides the words read, "Don't be evil."

But you know we've been here before
Since long before the pseudonym wars
We paved over bazaars for our cathedral
A cookie for the sacred rites
Confess your sins by terabytes
It's an auto-opt-in-only "Don't be evil."

You say regimes have used our tools
I don't know if they play by rules
Or if it matters whether it was legal
A Waymo or a UAV
It doesn't matter which you see
The holy or the broken "Don't be evil."

I did my best, it wasn't much
And maybe I'm just out of touch
I told the truth, as far as I could see still
But after all that we've been through
I'll face the exit interview
With nothing on my tongue but: "Don't be evil."