Gary Rivlin has placed a NY Times piece about Google's changing reputation in silicon Valley, and its actual influence on the ecosystem of innovation. Many frank and revealing quotes are incuded that reflect questionably on Google. "Google is doing more damage to innovation in the Valley right now than Microsoft ever did," said Reid Hoffman, the founder of two Internet ventures, including LinkedIn, a business networking Web site popular among Silicon Valley's digerati. "It's largely that they're hiring up so many talented people, and the fact they're working on so many different things. It's harder for start-ups to do interesting stuff right now." throughout a range of quotes, Google is portrayed as an evil empire, morphing into Microsoft as Microsoft morphs into IBM. 

John Battelle thinks that Google reactionism is over, having peaked in 2004. That might be true within the industry (though the Times article would have us believe there is robust anti-Google sentiment right now), but I think the evolution of Google's reputation is widening to less knowedgeable observers. Part of Google's problem is the profoundly foolish "don't be evil" nonsense, which invites every corporate expression to be evaluated as a moral point of character rather than as a business decision. Another part of it is just plain arrogance, as in the cred-destroying CNET fiasco. But for the most part, any quickly successful and very influential tech company goes through the type of examination and resentment Google is going through.