'Don't Be Evil'

Beneath the bunny suit, however, most Googlers, diverse as they are, fit a certain hard-driving archetype.

'I think they are all quite Type A in Google, self-starters and self-sufficient,' said Ms Sung. Googlers' conversations with BT were frequently peppered with 'getting it done' and 'doing it right'.

At the end of many statements, the word 'right' was tacked on, a mixture of emphasis and an urgency to drive home a point.

The mixture of cuddliness and edges is also true of Google itself - a company that, despite the folksiness of 'Don't Be Evil', has become more Goliath than David.

For all its 'Googliness', Google has been accused of some very un-'Googly' things this week. On Wednesday, three Google executives were convicted in an Italian court for allowing a video of an autistic teenager being bullied to be posted online.

On the same day, news also broke that the European Commission was looking into complaints against Google over its alleged competitive behaviour.

Photos: Peek at Google Singapore's office Click on thumbnail to view

At the Singapore office, Googlers say that the spirit of 'Don't Be Evil' is very much alive.

Mr McGlinchey points out the 'I'm Feeling Lucky' button on the Google search homepage that bypasses a search result page with ads on it.

'For every click of that button, we're not able to make any money. If this had been all about the dollars and cents, we'd get rid of that,' he says.

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