Google's Capitol Idea

Coming to Washington may put Google's philosophy of doing no evil to the test. Companies often need to cut deals and make compromises in order to be effective, and rivals in the marketplace may become allies when trying to influence government policy. Given the breadth of Google's activities, the company had little choice but to have a Washington presence.

Google has already experienced some political controversy. The company considered hiring Dan Senor, the former spokesman to the U.S. Provisional Authority in Iraq. He didn't end up joining Google after criticism from some bloggers, according to the Washington Post.

"They recognize that there are certain issues where they recognize they need to be engaged in the debate," says Blair Levin, a telecommunications policy analyst at Legg Mason who was a former chief of staff to Federal Communications Commission chief Reed Hundt.