Note: Submitted by me, by hand, after reading the posting and deciding it's relevant to startups.

Branding is important, and what you do with your brand is important. Actions speak louder than words. Google is still associated with "Do no Evil," but that's starting to wear a little thin as some of their actions belie the mantra. Similarly, you can get people chanting a slogan, but if you do something wrong, people will notice, and the backlash can be severe.

I would add that this:

  > There is no way to explain all this in a way that does
  > not make GoDaddy and it's CEO look good, and plenty of
  > ways to interpret it as bad.

... appears to have either too many or not enough negatives. I suggest it should read:

  > There is no way to explain all this in a way that makes
  > GoDaddy and it's CEO look good, and plenty of ways to
  > interpret it as bad.