> My luke-warm take is that the advertising industry is inherently evil.

Why? I like using ad-supported services, and have found some life-changing products/services via targeted ads.

The "don't be evil" thing has always surprised me. Why would a company that has decided to embrace evil want to admit that publically?

Graft versus host.

If evil is the absence of empathy, it’s capitalism in general that systematically cultivates this absence.