Claire Stapleton's new book, *Don't Be Evil*, recounts her journey from company cheerleader to outspoken dissident. In 2018, 20,000 Google employees worldwide staged a walkout to protest handling of sexual misconduct allegations. Stapleton, a communications specialist once called the "Bard of Google," was one of the organizers. Six months later, she resigned, claiming demotion as retaliation.

Stapleton joined Google in 2007, describing it as "getting the golden ticket in Willy Wonka." She quickly rose through the ranks. After a toxic experience at Google Creative Lab in New York, she moved to YouTube's marketing team. The turning point came when Larry Page replaced Eric Schmidt as CEO in 2011. Stapleton says this led to a more corporate culture, failed innovations like Google Glass and Google+, and the killing of Google Reader.

The worker-friendly culture eroded, with "radical accountability" blaming workers and HR gaslighting complaints. Stapleton also addresses her brother Scott's death in a 2008 motorcycle accident, noting she used work to avoid grief. The book explores how Big Tech went from admired to parables of corporate overreach.