That's a nice way of explaining the difference, Philipp (who, of course, has earned bucketloads of Karma over the years).

Maybe it explains why people care so much about the mantra "Don't be Evil". It's an expression of Karma, not an expression of Image.

I think this is V. Funny

Nice. I like the point that karma is improved via outside commentary/criticism.

A friend of mine at Google used to say that your brand is what's left over if you were to stop moving forward or working on being better.

Roger Browne:

"Don't be Evil" is all about image. It's a spin.
They've proved they'd do anything they think they'd get away with.

Google's karma is their dependable and easy-to-use software.
That's what's supporting their (probably) bogus image.
Not the other way around.

> "Don't be Evil" is all about image. It's a spin.

When the phrase was first used, I don't think there was any element of spin about it. Google really did have a different culture to the usual big corporate. That's being lost, but I don't think it's all gone yet.

excellent. i think any CEO would appreciate such keen business insight when considering a tough decision as a company (such as whether to comply with chinese censorship requirements.....)