Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Silicon Valley has long been a place of tech innovation and optimism. When Claire Stapleton moved there to work in communications at Google in 2007, she was bright eyed and optimistic about the company’s mission. She describes the executives as acting like “benevolent kings” back then. But over the course of the next decade, Google grew and changed. It arguably succeeded in its mission of organizing the world’s information, and it has grown an enormously profitable ads business. But it’s also had to face tough questions about data privacy and government contracts, and courts have declared parts of its business a monopoly. In this episode of “Galaxy Brain,” Charlie Warzel talks to Stapleton about her journey at Google—from the early days of ball pits and gourmet food to the growing disillusionment that eventually led to her leading an employee walkout in 2018, and leaving the following year. Her new memoir, Don’t Be Evil, chronicles her time inside the company.
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Silicon Valley has long been a place of tech innovation and optimism. When Claire Stapleton moved there to work in communications at Google in 2007, she was bright eyed and optimistic about the company’s mission. She describes the executives as acting like “benevolent kings” back then. But over the course of the next decade, Google grew and changed. It arguably succeeded in its mission of organizing the world’s information, and it has grown an enormously profitable ads business. But it’s also had to face tough questions about data privacy and government contracts, and courts have declared parts of its business a monopoly. In this episode of “Galaxy Brain,” Charlie Warzel talks to Stapleton about her journey at Google—from the early days of ball pits and gourmet food to the growing disillusionment that eventually led to her leading an employee walkout in 2018, and leaving the following year. Her new memoir, Don’t Be Evil, chronicles her time inside the company.
Subscribe to the “Galaxy Brain” newsletter: theatlantic.com/newsletters/sign-up/galaxy-brain/?utm_source=podcast-warzel
Subscribe to the “Galaxy Brain” podcast on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/galaxy-brain/id1378618386
Subscribe to the “Galaxy Brain” podcast on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/542WHgdiDTJhEjn1Py4J7n
Follow The Atlantic on Instagram: instagram.com/theatlantic/?hl=en
Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at accounts.theatlantic.com/products/?utm_medium=cr&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=apple_podcasts
