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The Google Story: Inside the Hottest Business, Media and Technology Success of Our Time
Moscow-born Sergey Brin and Midwest-born Larry Page dropped out of graduate school at Stanford University to, in their own words, "change the world" through a powerful search engine that would organize every bit of information on the Web for free. The Google Story takes you deep inside the company's wild ride from an idea that struggled for funding in 1998 to a firm that rakes in billions in profits, making Brin and Page the wealthiest young men in America. Based on scrupulous research and extraordinary access to Google, this fast-moving narrative reveals how an unorthodox management style and culture of innovation enabled a search engine to shake up Madison Avenue and Wall Street, scoop up YouTube, and battle Microsoft at every turn. Not afraid of controversy, Google is expanding in Communist China and quietly working on a searchable genetic database, initiatives that test the founders' guiding mantra: DON'T BE EVIL.
336 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2005
450 people are currently reading
18989 people want to read
About the author
David A. Vise
10 books29 followersDavid A. Vise, is a journalist and author. He is a Senior Advisor to New Mountain Capital, a New York-based investment firm, and Executive Director of Modern States “Freshman Year for Free,” a philanthropy whose goal is to make college more accessible and affordable.
He won a Pulitzer Prize and the Gerald Loeb Award for Large Newspapers in 1990 while working as a business reporter for The Washington Post.
He has authored or co-authored four books, including The Bureau and the Mole (2002), about FBI agent and convicted spy Robert Hanssen, and The Google Story (2005), a national bestseller published in more than two dozen languages.
Vise received an MBA from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He holds an honorary Doctorate of Literary Letters from Cumberland University and studied at the London School of Economics. Wharton named him to a list of 125 influential alumni on its 125th anniversary. In 2009, Vise received The Joseph Wharton Award for career achievement and community service.
A past president of Washington Hebrew Congregation, Vise is a board member of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, where he focuses on interfaith relations. Vise was a member of the first WUPJ delegation to meet with the Vatican. (from: Wikipedia)
He won a Pulitzer Prize and the Gerald Loeb Award for Large Newspapers in 1990 while working as a business reporter for The Washington Post.
He has authored or co-authored four books, including The Bureau and the Mole (2002), about FBI agent and convicted spy Robert Hanssen, and The Google Story (2005), a national bestseller published in more than two dozen languages.
Vise received an MBA from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He holds an honorary Doctorate of Literary Letters from Cumberland University and studied at the London School of Economics. Wharton named him to a list of 125 influential alumni on its 125th anniversary. In 2009, Vise received The Joseph Wharton Award for career achievement and community service.
A past president of Washington Hebrew Congregation, Vise is a board member of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, where he focuses on interfaith relations. Vise was a member of the first WUPJ delegation to meet with the Vatican. (from: Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 589 reviews
June 16, 2016
The Google Story was a fascinating peek into the biggest brand and arguably the most successful technology company of all times. I remember some 8 years ago, when the book had come out everybody I met had read it already and were raving about it. I think the marketing term is reverse-bandwagon effect, I put off reading it then for the very same reason.
Writing about an organization while it is in existence is indeed tough - especially if it is written by a news reporter. The chapters are essays of different aspects of the vibrant organization. The founders are brash, innovative and modern day superheroes who believed only in making their product the best. The factual chapters have been written in a 'blog' style writing that makes it reader friendly.
The organization represents the spirit of youth who believe norms are to be challenged and any hurdle can be conquered. One can only take inspiration from their ingenious business sense at the core of which is a simple search engine. Reading the book 10 years after it got published, you see how much further the organization has come what with android, chrome, maps and a whole boutique of products that change our lives every day.
To be read as a fan of the brand!
Writing about an organization while it is in existence is indeed tough - especially if it is written by a news reporter. The chapters are essays of different aspects of the vibrant organization. The founders are brash, innovative and modern day superheroes who believed only in making their product the best. The factual chapters have been written in a 'blog' style writing that makes it reader friendly.
The organization represents the spirit of youth who believe norms are to be challenged and any hurdle can be conquered. One can only take inspiration from their ingenious business sense at the core of which is a simple search engine. Reading the book 10 years after it got published, you see how much further the organization has come what with android, chrome, maps and a whole boutique of products that change our lives every day.
To be read as a fan of the brand!
July 7, 2014
This is a remarkable story put together by someone who apparently had limited access to the mysterious labyrinths of Google. The book’s jacket clearly tells us that the book was not created, authorised or endorsed by Google, Inc.
The narrative is starry-eyed and rarely reflects on the downside of Google’s journey. No doubt, the founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin fully deserve many of the kudos that came their way. Still, I came away with a feeling that the story could have been more balanced.
All of Google’s competitors – especially Microsoft – emerge as bumbling fools who are hell-bent on faltering. In contrast, Google’s vision (on search, email, genetics, alternative sources of energy, even space exploration), new business model that relies on clicks on ads to generate revenue, its adherence to ‘do no evil’ (forget its conduct in China for a while), business acumen and altruistic instincts emerge as shining examples in their own league.
There is no doubt, of course, that the two Stanford students who walked away from the world of academia and into a rented garage to concentrate on a better way of searching the web have broken fresh ground in several ways. They not only relied on the software they produced in-house to evolve a process that throws up more ‘relevant’ search results, they also put together their own hardware to power those searches. The initial search engines comprised simply of several home-assembled computers hitched together! They refused to let the advertising clients have any influence on the search results and came up with new ways to rank and display the text messages that accompanies Google’s search. The display of ads based on selected content of emails is an innovation and yet, Teflon like, Google has managed to shrug off all criticism that violates privacy of the individuals. They came up with a novel way of going public – with an online auction of shares within a given range and a two-price policy that gave them a vice-like grip on the company. Indeed, they have come up with an entirely new corporate culture. Which other company insists that its employees spend 20 percent of their time doing something that they love doing? And if a great idea emerges from these ‘20 percent’ periods, the company embraces and funds it!
Yet, Google’s predatory moves to pull away talent from its competitors, lack of corporate transparency, arrangements with giants like AOL and Yahoo over search and ad sharing (and, at the same time, taking pot-shots at Microsoft for its monopoly and anti-trust violations) and acquiescing to China over privacy (a situation that has come to head since the writing of the book) are all issues that cannot be swept under the beautiful carpet of its success.
The book is certainly worth reading for a better understanding of a giant that is silently and surely having greater presence in our lives than we perhaps even notice.
The narrative is starry-eyed and rarely reflects on the downside of Google’s journey. No doubt, the founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin fully deserve many of the kudos that came their way. Still, I came away with a feeling that the story could have been more balanced.
All of Google’s competitors – especially Microsoft – emerge as bumbling fools who are hell-bent on faltering. In contrast, Google’s vision (on search, email, genetics, alternative sources of energy, even space exploration), new business model that relies on clicks on ads to generate revenue, its adherence to ‘do no evil’ (forget its conduct in China for a while), business acumen and altruistic instincts emerge as shining examples in their own league.
There is no doubt, of course, that the two Stanford students who walked away from the world of academia and into a rented garage to concentrate on a better way of searching the web have broken fresh ground in several ways. They not only relied on the software they produced in-house to evolve a process that throws up more ‘relevant’ search results, they also put together their own hardware to power those searches. The initial search engines comprised simply of several home-assembled computers hitched together! They refused to let the advertising clients have any influence on the search results and came up with new ways to rank and display the text messages that accompanies Google’s search. The display of ads based on selected content of emails is an innovation and yet, Teflon like, Google has managed to shrug off all criticism that violates privacy of the individuals. They came up with a novel way of going public – with an online auction of shares within a given range and a two-price policy that gave them a vice-like grip on the company. Indeed, they have come up with an entirely new corporate culture. Which other company insists that its employees spend 20 percent of their time doing something that they love doing? And if a great idea emerges from these ‘20 percent’ periods, the company embraces and funds it!
Yet, Google’s predatory moves to pull away talent from its competitors, lack of corporate transparency, arrangements with giants like AOL and Yahoo over search and ad sharing (and, at the same time, taking pot-shots at Microsoft for its monopoly and anti-trust violations) and acquiescing to China over privacy (a situation that has come to head since the writing of the book) are all issues that cannot be swept under the beautiful carpet of its success.
The book is certainly worth reading for a better understanding of a giant that is silently and surely having greater presence in our lives than we perhaps even notice.
June 15, 2012
Google. Прорыв в духе времени стоит прочитать хотя бы потому, что ее продукты используются ежедневно и повсеместно.
Но,как говорится: Давайте без фанатизма!!! . Эта книга далеко не венец литературного слога, да и перевод (мягко говоря, не идеален).
Первая часть книги (и самая интересная) это хронология: что задумали, с кем встречались, кто и сколько дал бабла, кто поверил, а кто нет, что говорили конкуренты и т.д.
Общую же мысль книги для себя я определил вот так:
Как сделать хорошо, то чего все хотят! Почему (иногда) важно просто не делать грубых ошибок!
Ахов и охов по поводу этой книги (и Google) я не разделяю. Если вам интересно почитать как действительно делать SW бизнес(и рубить бабло наголом месте), то рекомендую почитать бестселлер Билла Гейтса Бизнес со скоростью мысли (Business @ the Speed of Thought).
Тем кому интересно знать, как найти новую нишу, сформировать ее, сделать продукт и изменить мир , я рекомендую ознакомится с замечательной книгой Линуса Торвальдса Just for Fun.
Но,как говорится: Давайте без фанатизма!!! . Эта книга далеко не венец литературного слога, да и перевод (мягко говоря, не идеален).
Первая часть книги (и самая интересная) это хронология: что задумали, с кем встречались, кто и сколько дал бабла, кто поверил, а кто нет, что говорили конкуренты и т.д.
Общую же мысль книги для себя я определил вот так:
Как сделать хорошо, то чего все хотят! Почему (иногда) важно просто не делать грубых ошибок!
Ахов и охов по поводу этой книги (и Google) я не разделяю. Если вам интересно почитать как действительно делать SW бизнес
Тем кому интересно знать, как найти новую нишу, сформировать ее, сделать продукт и изменить мир , я рекомендую ознакомится с замечательной книгой Линуса Торвальдса Just for Fun.
May 23, 2011
أسعد الله أوقاتكم جميعا .. قد تستغرب العنوان عزيزي القارئ لكني أحببت أن نتشارك المعرفة في موضوع تقني يهم جميع مستخدميها .. لأن هذا الوقت هو وقت المعلومة الأسرع .. كتاب قصة جوجل .. يحكي قصة أغرب الشركات وأكثرها إثارة للجدل في وول-ستريت , عندما تبدأ بقراءة قصة المؤسسين سيرجي برين -ذو الأصول الروسية- ولاري بيج عندما كانا يدرسان الدكتوراه في جامعة ستانفورد في علوم الحاسب والرياضيات -شابين في في العقد الثالث من العمر , ابنين لعائلة أكاديمية - , عندما كان المجتمع يشتكي من ضعف محركات البحث القديمة الموجودة آنذاك , فابتكر لاري بيج نظاما يقوم على البحث والفهرسة بطريقة مختلفة , حيث ابتكر خوارزمية تقوم بترتيب النتائج حسب النص والمطلوب , وجملة من الخوارزميات التي ساعدته على أن ينافس محرك ألتا-فيستا وغيرها , عرض الفكرة على زميله سيرجي برين , فتكون الثنائي المبدع ومجموعة من زملاءهم , بدأ لاري بيج بتحميل المواقع على الحاسوب معتمدا على حواسب متواضعة يقوم بتعديلها , ارتفع اسم محرك البحث -كان يسمي بتصنيف بيج PegRank- كثرت العمليات عليه وتطلب منهم المزيد من المال لإنشاء قواعد بيانات أكثر , تلقيا دعما من امبراطور شركات وادي السيليكون بمئة ألف دولار , كانا حائرين في كيفية جلب أرباح , وكان هذفهم الأساسي خدمة البشرية , حتى أن التمويل وصل حتى خمسة وعشرين مليون دولار ولتلك اللحظة لم يستطيعا أن يجدا سبيلا لجلب المال مما أثار غضب الممولين , كما أنهما كانا متمسكين باحترام المستخدم وعدم تشويشه بإطارات اعلانية منبثقة من شاشة البحث , واعتمدا على التصميم البسيط ذو الخلفية البيضاء الخالي من التشتيت .. عندما جاء وقت تسمية الشركة , احتاروا كثيرا وانتهوا على أن يتم تسميته Google -يعني عددا غير منتهي- , ارتفع اسم الشركة عاليا في وادي السيليكون المليء بامبراطوريات شركات الدوت كوم , بدءا من طريقة عملهم الغريبة , وكان أكثر ما يدفعون هو على راحة الموظفين ويشجعون الأفكار الجديدة , ومتحمسين جدا , وكانا جو العمل بعيدا عن جو الرسمية بل حتى أن الكلاب المدللة تتمشى في المبنى بكل أريحية , بدأت تجلب بجوها البديع عباقرة الحاسوب وتختلسهم من كبريات الشركات حتى أن مايكروسوفت بدءا تخشاها بعدما بدأ موظفيها يتسربون لجوجل .. جاء وقت الاكتتاب وكان أكثر ما يؤرق سيرجي وبيج ومديرهما التنفيذي لاحقا ايريك شميديت هو الكشف عن أسرار تفوقهما وخشيتهم أيضا من أن يسيطر كبار ملاك الأسهم على الشركة , فامتلكا أكبر عدد من الأسهم من أجل الحفاظ على سيطرتهم عليها .. وعندما كانت الشركة تخطط للإكتتاب كانت عجيبة من جميع النواحي الإقتصادية , حتى أنها شكلت منهجا جديدا ومثيرا لجدل محللي وول-ستريت في كيفية بناء القاعدة الاقتصادية للشركة , بعيدا عن كبت المواهب والسيطرة الغير محسوبة , كان سعر الاكتتاب للسهم 85دولار وبعد سنة ارتفع حتى قارب الثلاثمئة دولار .. الغريب أن الشركة في التصنيف المالي لعام 2006م كانت الثالثة بعد مايكروسوفت وول مارت بقيمة 117مليار دولار وأرباح 1.5 مليار دولار , وكل هذا فقط وهي ابنة السبع سنوات -تأسست عام 1998م- وتعتمد معظم أرباحها بل كلها على الإعلانات الخطية التي ترونها في يمين الشاشة وإعلانات جوجل في المواقع المختلفة .
كتاب جميل حقا أشبع رغبتي في البحث عن تاريخ هذه الشركة الناشئة والمتألقة بمنتجاتها , أحببت أن أكتب عن مجمل ما قرأت في هذا الكتاب , ونتشارك المعرف والفائدة , والحقيقة أن الكتاب جهد عظيم يحوي أسرارا متأكد أنكم سترونها لأول مرة , قد أكون مهتما في هذه الأمور لأنني دارس للتقنية ومحب لها لكن لا أظن أحدا يستغني عن التقنية وخصوصا قطاع البحث لذا أنصحك بقرائته .. وأتمنى لك قراءة ممتعة
July 28, 2012
In The Plex is away better.
January 19, 2018
New found love and admiration for this organisation, without which the world seems essentially unimaginable today.
This book is a comprehensive and lucid account of how the Google guys (Brin and Page) computer science PhD students at Stanford, thought of an idea and with their sheer resolve and cunningness built upon it and offered a revolutionary product in the world of internet that has made human life easy and simple in ways it would've been difficult to imagine otherwise.
Fostering a culture of innovation and creating an environment of inclusivity, Google doesn't seem to fit in with the conventional corporate setups, with the Googleplex being described as an 'extended Stanford University campus'. Truly, it seems to be the dream company to work for.
And oh, the interesting appendices at the end list 23 Google Search tips (some of which might come across as new) and the GLAT for you to gauge whether you have what it takes to work for The Google Inc.
This book is a comprehensive and lucid account of how the Google guys (Brin and Page) computer science PhD students at Stanford, thought of an idea and with their sheer resolve and cunningness built upon it and offered a revolutionary product in the world of internet that has made human life easy and simple in ways it would've been difficult to imagine otherwise.
Fostering a culture of innovation and creating an environment of inclusivity, Google doesn't seem to fit in with the conventional corporate setups, with the Googleplex being described as an 'extended Stanford University campus'. Truly, it seems to be the dream company to work for.
And oh, the interesting appendices at the end list 23 Google Search tips (some of which might come across as new) and the GLAT for you to gauge whether you have what it takes to work for The Google Inc.
November 6, 2008
Could I be more in love with this company!!!!
Last year one of our instructors showed us a short documentary about Google workplace. I remember the first thing popped into my mind was like; Man, they've got to be kidding!! .
I mean the wacky environment and behaviors; you might find someone's walking in his pajama. Another one is doing his laundry!! And a third is getting a massage, while the fourth is playing with her puppy!! Oh, and let me add this a BARBERSHOP in your office, and of course the giant living gourmet restaurant who serves whatever you want, and all of this for freeee. As we saw in the documentary, employees were incredibly a way too happy and having lots of fun. They just seemed to play hard as well as they work hard. And now, after reading this book I can tell I'm even more amazed by this enormously bright firm.
The book, the google story, takes you in a journey starts from the first thought of two Stanford ph.D. Students, and ends with the very known successful leading search engine company today. How they created it, improved it, turned it into a business enterprise and how they competed greatest and strongly successful rivals such as Microsoft and Yahoo.
I really loved their philosophy and values with their clever motto "Don't Be Evil" thingy. Especially, how they perceived the advertising acts and pornography blocking for those who activate it. Furthermore, it was very interesting to know that this firm whose financial strength is built on advertising did almost no advertising itself!! .
Also, i loved how Larry and Sergey, founders of Google, like to be in control on everything and want to do everything in their way; with venture capitalists and even when they went to public and did the IPO…..geez, they're just adorable and pigheaded!
On the other hand, I found the book very inspirational. Believe it or not, this tremendous successes which has been built in an unbelievabl short time, was born from regular students who wanted to just do a project they were interested in. yeah right, everything can happen if we just brilliantly worked hardly on it.
Very recommended for those who have interests in business & marketing.
Last year one of our instructors showed us a short documentary about Google workplace. I remember the first thing popped into my mind was like; Man, they've got to be kidding!! .
I mean the wacky environment and behaviors; you might find someone's walking in his pajama. Another one is doing his laundry!! And a third is getting a massage, while the fourth is playing with her puppy!! Oh, and let me add this a BARBERSHOP in your office, and of course the giant living gourmet restaurant who serves whatever you want, and all of this for freeee. As we saw in the documentary, employees were incredibly a way too happy and having lots of fun. They just seemed to play hard as well as they work hard. And now, after reading this book I can tell I'm even more amazed by this enormously bright firm.
The book, the google story, takes you in a journey starts from the first thought of two Stanford ph.D. Students, and ends with the very known successful leading search engine company today. How they created it, improved it, turned it into a business enterprise and how they competed greatest and strongly successful rivals such as Microsoft and Yahoo.
I really loved their philosophy and values with their clever motto "Don't Be Evil" thingy. Especially, how they perceived the advertising acts and pornography blocking for those who activate it. Furthermore, it was very interesting to know that this firm whose financial strength is built on advertising did almost no advertising itself!! .
Also, i loved how Larry and Sergey, founders of Google, like to be in control on everything and want to do everything in their way; with venture capitalists and even when they went to public and did the IPO…..geez, they're just adorable and pigheaded!
On the other hand, I found the book very inspirational. Believe it or not, this tremendous successes which has been built in an unbelievabl short time, was born from regular students who wanted to just do a project they were interested in. yeah right, everything can happen if we just brilliantly worked hardly on it.
Very recommended for those who have interests in business & marketing.
January 31, 2020
I don't think that this is a balanced take on the story, though I do understand why. It does provide a lot of information on into the origins of the company and while the eccentricities of the founders Sergey and Brin were thoroughly interesting, the rest of the workings of the organisation did not quite capture my attention as much, truth be told. The rivalry with Microsoft seemed pretty biased and I think that all the chapters after that seemed to be written to impress than instil. Google was created for user convenience first and capitalism second, and the recent control of the company over the public consciousness really doesn't reflect this principle.
June 20, 2012
This book was incredibly bland. The author omitted or glossed over any negatives in the first two-thirds of the book, so when the legal issues are discussed towards the end they seem to come from nowhere. This should have been an easy read but it just didn't grab my attention at all.
August 28, 2020
Um livro muito completo sobre os primeiros anos de vida do Google.
Ainda que não tenha sido o primeiro motor de busca, ao longo do livro é possível perceber o porquê de ter sido o que teve, e ainda tem, mais sucesso.
Recomendo vivamente!
Ainda que não tenha sido o primeiro motor de busca, ao longo do livro é possível perceber o porquê de ter sido o que teve, e ainda tem, mais sucesso.
Recomendo vivamente!
September 29, 2007
I have a big interest in marketing and business, and I found this book to be a very well structured and interesing narrative of how one company came up with something new and better and brought their business vision to fruition.
Especially fascinating were the details of how the leadership roles were split amongst the creators and the CEO they hired, and how they compare with some of the traditional modes of leadership in Silicon Valley business ventures.
Their work culture philosophy is also interesting to note as the sheer optimism of the work culture flies in the face of traditional work cultures. The book serves as a snapshop of what Generation Y business culture may eventually look.
Moreover, the comparisons with their competitors, such as Microsoft, and Yahoo! are very fascinating.
The book does examin certain issues pertinent to Google's business philosophy of "Do No Evil", that conflict with the sheer nature of their search product (the ability of users to be able to use the tool to find pornography for example). The book notes these conflicts and treats them in a relatively neutral manner. However, do not expect the writer to go into great depth regarding them. The reader is more or less made to understand that these conflicts exist and are left to research the issues themselves if they so wish.
All in all a good read, I knocked it over in a few days. It had easy to read language, that never gave way to difficult to understand business speak. I believe that makes this novel quite perfect for the undergraduate business student making their foray into understanding how a business ticks, or the casual reader who simply wishes to know more about something that has most likely made a subtle impact on making their life more convenient in one way or another.
Especially fascinating were the details of how the leadership roles were split amongst the creators and the CEO they hired, and how they compare with some of the traditional modes of leadership in Silicon Valley business ventures.
Their work culture philosophy is also interesting to note as the sheer optimism of the work culture flies in the face of traditional work cultures. The book serves as a snapshop of what Generation Y business culture may eventually look.
Moreover, the comparisons with their competitors, such as Microsoft, and Yahoo! are very fascinating.
The book does examin certain issues pertinent to Google's business philosophy of "Do No Evil", that conflict with the sheer nature of their search product (the ability of users to be able to use the tool to find pornography for example). The book notes these conflicts and treats them in a relatively neutral manner. However, do not expect the writer to go into great depth regarding them. The reader is more or less made to understand that these conflicts exist and are left to research the issues themselves if they so wish.
All in all a good read, I knocked it over in a few days. It had easy to read language, that never gave way to difficult to understand business speak. I believe that makes this novel quite perfect for the undergraduate business student making their foray into understanding how a business ticks, or the casual reader who simply wishes to know more about something that has most likely made a subtle impact on making their life more convenient in one way or another.
August 17, 2010
I really liked this book and perhaps more so I loved the Google story. Are the Google guys really the goodies? I'm not sure but I need to believe that one can be financially successful without having to sell your soul or move away from your true goals and that is what I got most from this book. Guys wanting to create the best, not veering from the path despite the pressures. Not even wondering how it is going to make a dime. Simply focused on getting it right.
The Google story puts any other idea of "Thinking BIG" to shame. There seem to be no limits to what these guys can come up with, no ceiling as to what is possible. Plus it at least seems that BIG can be done without riding roughshod over everyone else, without getting shafted by the bankers and the establishment and without caving in to pressure to be "normal".
Even if you aren't a computer boff you will enjoy this book, if you have Google as your home page you will more than likely love it.
For once a company that apparently manages to get business simply because their product is the best, not having to advertise because word of mouth does that for them. Am I naive enough to believe all of that is true? Yes I need to be and the Google story offers hope that the good guys can win.
July 12, 2014
The book chronicles the journey of Google from its early days in the garage of a Paolo Alto residence, to mid 2005, roughly a year after Google went public. It is extensive in scope and covers everything from the idea search using 'pagerank', which led Google's founding, the early struggles of Larry and Sergey to get capital and their subsequent effort to make Google profitable, to their other products like Gmail and AdSense, their IPO and Google's future plans.
One of the recurring themes in the Google story is how the Google guys broke tradition and did things their own way, from getting 2 rival venture capital firms to back it to snubbing wall street when going public. Instead of getting into mundane details of firm management or the intricacies of their search engine which is difficult to understand, the author details the various projects and challenges faced by Google with a focus on how their solutions were different and 'not evil'.
This book is easily the best nonfiction I've read this year. I hope there is another Google story book which picks up from where this one ended.
One of the recurring themes in the Google story is how the Google guys broke tradition and did things their own way, from getting 2 rival venture capital firms to back it to snubbing wall street when going public. Instead of getting into mundane details of firm management or the intricacies of their search engine which is difficult to understand, the author details the various projects and challenges faced by Google with a focus on how their solutions were different and 'not evil'.
This book is easily the best nonfiction I've read this year. I hope there is another Google story book which picks up from where this one ended.
February 5, 2020
The book starts out really great with the intriguing story of the utter genius that the google founders possessed and the kind of hard work they did through which they turned a wild thought to the money making machine that google today has become.
Google’s keen focus for innovation and the brilliant business acumen of the founders fascinated me a lot.
The chapter on how google hired a chef via a competition to help make healthy food for google employees was the one that I enjoyed a lot.
The middle sections of the book turn a little boring in my opinion.
The book’s ending is also abrupt and thus the book does not feel complete.
An average read.
Google’s keen focus for innovation and the brilliant business acumen of the founders fascinated me a lot.
The chapter on how google hired a chef via a competition to help make healthy food for google employees was the one that I enjoyed a lot.
The middle sections of the book turn a little boring in my opinion.
The book’s ending is also abrupt and thus the book does not feel complete.
An average read.
August 27, 2012
About: Founding, rise, and establishing of Google. The mistakes that competitors made, the philosophy behind "Do No Evil", Stanford, the simple, plain homepage, the Google business model, the 'attitude', $85, dreams, guts, confidence, Sergey Brin & Larry Page, garage, Googleplex, Charlie's, AOL-Europe contract (just like in Archer's Fourth Estate), acquisitions, Microsoft, China, Redmond, finance, Wall Street, the present, litigation, burst bubble, geeks, GLAT, Search, genetics, the future...
April 15, 2019
This is the story of Google. It exceeded my expectations. So many parts to this story from their early start to the goals of the future. And while reading it you begin to realize how Google game in and changed the world. It’s cutting edge thinking and ideas came at a most crucial time in internet history. Learn their unique plans and how they brought about this unique vision. They also touch on where they are headed and the competition. Great read if you love stories of starters.
January 12, 2019
كواحد من عشاق قصص النجاح عموما و جوجل خصوصا كنت سعيد جدا بقراءة كتاب محترم و شيق للغاية مكتوب باسلوب سلس ابعد ما يكون عن رتابة الاسلوب السمتخدم عادة للسير الذاتية او قصص النجاح.
الكتاب لقيته مترجم من ست سنين تقريبا في دار ميريت
الكتاب لقيته مترجم من ست سنين تقريبا في دار ميريت
February 16, 2022
WordsProgram, AdsAuction, the war with Microsoft and the 20% rule.
An amazing story about two amazing characters, Larry and Sergey, but I wished to see more about Youtube and Waze!
An amazing story about two amazing characters, Larry and Sergey, but I wished to see more about Youtube and Waze!
June 6, 2018
Reading this book in 2018 is too late, was what I thought when I picked it up. The revenue model of Google is no more a mystery as it used to be way back then. Google has always been an open company, what could this book have that we all don't know? It isn't a legacy to be celebrated, we are seeing Google taking new heights in front of our eyes.
It turned out that I was wrong. No matter how much I knew about this giant, without this book I would have never learned about one trait of its cofounder which was instilled in everyone who joined them. It was INTEGRITY.
When I was somewhere in the middle of this book, a famous Indian e-commerce website was acquired by an American multinational retail corporation. I was personally disappointed with the turn of events. Soon I started to feel sympathetic for the cofounders who must have to make a compromising decision because of being under pressure of their Investors.
And then I read about the pressure the Google cofounder had on them to make their company public. And how seamlessly they did it but on their own terms. They respected what they have built over the years, but kept the trust of their customers who were also emotionally attached to Google above all. I was so glad that the book gave such a very comprehensive view of in and around Googleplex.
My review might have taken away few stars for being slightly biased towards the success of Google and not discussing their failures. But considering that the book first published seven years after the Google was founded, no one really cared much about what wrong they were doing. At that time they were making up for what was wrong happening around. Possibly a sequel can dive into that.
It turned out that I was wrong. No matter how much I knew about this giant, without this book I would have never learned about one trait of its cofounder which was instilled in everyone who joined them. It was INTEGRITY.
When I was somewhere in the middle of this book, a famous Indian e-commerce website was acquired by an American multinational retail corporation. I was personally disappointed with the turn of events. Soon I started to feel sympathetic for the cofounders who must have to make a compromising decision because of being under pressure of their Investors.
And then I read about the pressure the Google cofounder had on them to make their company public. And how seamlessly they did it but on their own terms. They respected what they have built over the years, but kept the trust of their customers who were also emotionally attached to Google above all. I was so glad that the book gave such a very comprehensive view of in and around Googleplex.
My review might have taken away few stars for being slightly biased towards the success of Google and not discussing their failures. But considering that the book first published seven years after the Google was founded, no one really cared much about what wrong they were doing. At that time they were making up for what was wrong happening around. Possibly a sequel can dive into that.
May 30, 2024
I thought The Google Story was an interesting read that chronologically tells how Google got its start. This book was published in 2005, so it was fascinating to read about what was the latest technology at the time, where major competitors, like Microsoft, were at, and what "The Google Guys" believed will be the future. Obviously, since 2005, Google has continued to dominant and evolve as a search engine and much much more. I was very intrigued throughout the book learning about the overall startup culture at that time and Google culture, what they found to be revolutionary then (gmail!, Google News, etc.) and knowing it to be what it is today, and how they overcame the challenges they faced up to the point of going public.
I have a new respect for Brin and Page, and for the technology and culture they created. However, I'd be very interested in The Google Story authors writing another book about Google since then, or finding a book about Google now (I'm sure plenty of books about it exist, I just haven't looked yet). I'm more curious about the current mindset of "The Google Guys" and how/if their ambitions and beliefs have changed since 2005.
I have a new respect for Brin and Page, and for the technology and culture they created. However, I'd be very interested in The Google Story authors writing another book about Google since then, or finding a book about Google now (I'm sure plenty of books about it exist, I just haven't looked yet). I'm more curious about the current mindset of "The Google Guys" and how/if their ambitions and beliefs have changed since 2005.
November 13, 2017
Something of a not-particularly-well-written puff piece for Google, back from the days when people still believed they could solve All Of The Problems by hurling themselves headlong at the altar of Technology. (And it's weird these tech wizards do their worship at the Burning Man Festival.)
The weakness of Google is they have all the bits in one box, and can pull out nearly any one in a split second, but can't assemble them into anything except a gargantuan company, with its own tacky, life consuming (complete with free meals from chefs, personal trainers, daycare etc, all courtesy of Godfather Google) campus culture.
Apart from that, there's a lot of info about Google in one spot, so you don't have to Google it. Google is quite secretive, and this is not an official biography, but still worth it if you don't know much about the Google company. The most interesting parts were how various Google products (eg Google search, books, shopping) came to be.
The weakness of Google is they have all the bits in one box, and can pull out nearly any one in a split second, but can't assemble them into anything except a gargantuan company, with its own tacky, life consuming (complete with free meals from chefs, personal trainers, daycare etc, all courtesy of Godfather Google) campus culture.
Apart from that, there's a lot of info about Google in one spot, so you don't have to Google it. Google is quite secretive, and this is not an official biography, but still worth it if you don't know much about the Google company. The most interesting parts were how various Google products (eg Google search, books, shopping) came to be.
March 7, 2017
The Google Story is a business case study, a lesson for all managers. It is a book that ought to be required reading in Management Classes everywhere. This is the story of an organisation’s growth from start-up status to world leadership. It is the story that tells the virtues of sticking to basic business principles and fundamentals, almost to the exclusion of all else. It is a story of how you can still have values, and yet do good business. And it is also the story of how, in crunch times, these same values can be stretched to the point of breaking.
This is a book that should be required reading not just for Business Managers – but also for politicians, especially those in the Commerce Education, and Finance Ministries; and for educationists in technical colleges. This book, taken in the right spirit, is a standing lesson, an exemplar, for something I have pointed out earlier as well – deeper college-industry linkages, which can eventually help unlock potential, and give a direction to young talent. It is the complete absence of such linkages in India on a comparable level & scale, that is a significant reason for talent not to reach its potential
This book gives an idea of how excellent linkages between industry, think-tanks, investors, and colleges can act as tremendous incubators for talent; places where talent can grow by itself, and seek opportunities to create and co-create exemplars. The USA, built almost exclusively on borrowed talent, can justifiably lay claim to having successfully provided the right conditions for the talent of the google founders to grow and prosper; even supporting them in the initial stages, setting the stage for the exponential stages of growth that followed. This is something we all can learn from.
For the complete review - Click here : https://reflectionsvvk.blogspot.in/20...
This is a book that should be required reading not just for Business Managers – but also for politicians, especially those in the Commerce Education, and Finance Ministries; and for educationists in technical colleges. This book, taken in the right spirit, is a standing lesson, an exemplar, for something I have pointed out earlier as well – deeper college-industry linkages, which can eventually help unlock potential, and give a direction to young talent. It is the complete absence of such linkages in India on a comparable level & scale, that is a significant reason for talent not to reach its potential
This book gives an idea of how excellent linkages between industry, think-tanks, investors, and colleges can act as tremendous incubators for talent; places where talent can grow by itself, and seek opportunities to create and co-create exemplars. The USA, built almost exclusively on borrowed talent, can justifiably lay claim to having successfully provided the right conditions for the talent of the google founders to grow and prosper; even supporting them in the initial stages, setting the stage for the exponential stages of growth that followed. This is something we all can learn from.
For the complete review - Click here : https://reflectionsvvk.blogspot.in/20...
October 30, 2017
SO much google propoganda. Also loved it. Also profiled so many bros and just casually mentioned the many successes of Marissa Mayer? Boo.
May 11, 2019
Who doesn't know Google at this epoch in human history? It's a worldwide phenomenon by now and it's hard to come across someone in the modern era who has never heard of the brand. That being said, not many people actually know how the company was founded and what it has gone through since its establishment. I'm one of those in dark and I'm glad I read this book.
It's a pretty straight forward book, telling the story of the Google Guys and how they came to become the founder of arguably the largest and most popular brands on earth. Structurally, I find the book to be well managed. There are obviously a lot of overlaps, but only because the company seems to be working on multiple giant projects at once—while also battling lawsuits and other drama. It covers pretty much all the bases thus far—although this book was published over a decade ago, so it misses out on numerous breakthroughs thenceforth from Google we know today.
What bothers me most, I feel, is the obvious subjectivity of the author throughout the story. There were various occasions, in which I feel the Google Guys—or the company as a whole—weren't the most upstanding people, but the author seems to always put a positive twist to their drawbacks. There were some less-than-ethical practices that Google had had a hand in that made me feel uncomfortable. The author, of course, finds a reason to paint them in a better light. Which is unfortunate, since I find that, with the book being an unauthorised version of the Google history, it could've done a much better job at being impartial. But, I suppose, with Google on its title, it's understandable that people would expect the book to be an endorsement of sorts for the company. Lest the author wants to risk a potential lawsuit.
The most interesting part about reading this book, for me, is knowing that people today will most likely have their opinions about the company. These opinions will probably affect their reading experience accordingly. Personally, I find so many less-than-favourable practices done by Google on the internet today. It's hard to overlook the glossing over of such practices by the author in this book, which got me cringing now and then. But, of course, if you have a very high opinion of Google, reading this book will only reinforce your love for the company.
All in all, I think this book does a pretty good job at telling (PARTS of) the story of Google. If you're curious about their history, why not give this book a go?
It's a pretty straight forward book, telling the story of the Google Guys and how they came to become the founder of arguably the largest and most popular brands on earth. Structurally, I find the book to be well managed. There are obviously a lot of overlaps, but only because the company seems to be working on multiple giant projects at once—while also battling lawsuits and other drama. It covers pretty much all the bases thus far—although this book was published over a decade ago, so it misses out on numerous breakthroughs thenceforth from Google we know today.
What bothers me most, I feel, is the obvious subjectivity of the author throughout the story. There were various occasions, in which I feel the Google Guys—or the company as a whole—weren't the most upstanding people, but the author seems to always put a positive twist to their drawbacks. There were some less-than-ethical practices that Google had had a hand in that made me feel uncomfortable. The author, of course, finds a reason to paint them in a better light. Which is unfortunate, since I find that, with the book being an unauthorised version of the Google history, it could've done a much better job at being impartial. But, I suppose, with Google on its title, it's understandable that people would expect the book to be an endorsement of sorts for the company. Lest the author wants to risk a potential lawsuit.
The most interesting part about reading this book, for me, is knowing that people today will most likely have their opinions about the company. These opinions will probably affect their reading experience accordingly. Personally, I find so many less-than-favourable practices done by Google on the internet today. It's hard to overlook the glossing over of such practices by the author in this book, which got me cringing now and then. But, of course, if you have a very high opinion of Google, reading this book will only reinforce your love for the company.
All in all, I think this book does a pretty good job at telling (PARTS of) the story of Google. If you're curious about their history, why not give this book a go?
August 23, 2022
Learned quite a bit; but found the story a tad dull and more like a long wiki read.
September 21, 2017
Interesting background on the company, but still seems to paint them as the good guys in all cases. I hope it's true, they have changed the world and have the potential to make even bigger changes.
August 21, 2025
When David A. Vise and Mark Malseed first published The Google Story in 2005, the internet was already humming with the name “Google”, but it had not yet become the verb, the world-straddling empire, or the synonym for search that we take for granted today.
The book reads like a journalistic fairy tale about two graduate students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who took a research project called “BackRub” and, in less than a decade, turned it into a global force.
The brilliance of the book lies not only in its recounting of the quirky personalities of the founders or the colourful culture they built but also in its recognition that Google was never just another Silicon Valley startup—it was an idea that rearranged how humanity thinks about knowledge itself. Reading it today, especially with two more decades of hindsight, is like stepping into a time machine. You see the seeds of what would become a trillion-dollar behemoth, but you also notice how innocent and even quaint the story feels compared to Google of 2025.
The book begins with the familiar Stanford lore: Larry Page, a Michigan-born PhD student with a fondness for algorithms, and Sergey Brin, the Russian émigré with a restless intellect and scepticism toward authority, meet in Palo Alto and quickly start collaborating. Their project, “BackRub”, was built on the insight that ranking web pages by the number of inbound links would reveal something about their relevance and authority.
That algorithm, later refined into PageRank, was the intellectual foundation for what became Google. Vise and Malseed capture this moment with a storyteller’s eye, framing it as a marriage of technical brilliance and obsessive curiosity.
Even when investors dismissed search as a solved problem or an unprofitable niche, the two students held fast, propelled by a conviction that their approach would revolutionise the way the world organised information.
The next act of the book is almost comic in its simplicity: Andy Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, scribbles out a $100,000 cheque after seeing the demo, even before the company has been incorporated. It’s one of those myth-making moments in tech history, a story retold endlessly because it condenses the essence of Silicon Valley: genius, luck, and money colliding in a garage.
From there, the book narrates how Google built not just a business but a culture—flat hierarchies, the famous “20% time” that encouraged employees to chase their passions, and an office environment that looked more like a playground than a corporation. Vise delights in these anecdotes: lava lamps, free gourmet meals, dogs roaming the offices. The point was clear—Google wanted to be different, and that difference was a selling point both for employees and for the world watching it grow.
But what turned Google from an idealistic search engine into a financial powerhouse was its advertising model. AdWords, the pay-per-click system that matched ads to search queries, was nothing short of revolutionary. It transformed online advertising, pulling dollars away from newspapers and television and reshaping media itself. The book frames this as a moment of genius, a pivot that fused technical rigour with business pragmatism.
What had been a great tool for finding things online suddenly became the engine of one of the most profitable companies in history. Google wasn’t just indexing the web; it was monetising human curiosity.
By 2005, when the book was published, Google was already expanding beyond search. Gmail had launched, Blogger was under its wing, and the first murmurs of projects like Google Maps were surfacing. The authors capture this as a restless energy, a company that couldn’t sit still, always chasing the next frontier.
At the same time, they acknowledge the growing unease: the motto “Don’t be evil” was already being tested by questions of privacy, monopoly power, and government pressure. Even then, the paradox was clear: how could a company that organized the world’s information remain innocent when so much power and profit were at stake?
Reading this in 2012, as I did, the book felt both exhilarating and already dated. Google had grown at a pace so blistering that even a meticulously reported account like Vise’s couldn’t keep up. And now, with the benefit of another thirteen years, we can trace the arc that the book only foreshadows. The real story of Google did not end in 2005—it only accelerated.
From 2005 to 2010, Google cemented its role as more than a search company. YouTube was acquired in 2006, a move that seemed whimsical at the time but has since become the crown jewel of online video. Android was purchased in 2005 and blossomed into the world’s most dominant mobile operating system, ensuring that Google would ride the smartphone wave instead of being drowned by it. Gmail moved out of beta, Maps became indispensable, and Chrome launched in 2008, disrupting Microsoft’s stranglehold on browsers. Each of these products wasn’t just an addition to Google’s ecosystem; it was a land grab in a different corner of digital life.
The next decade, 2010 to 2020, was about consolidation and power. Google became Alphabet in 2015, restructuring to allow its moonshot projects—self-driving cars through Waymo, life sciences through Verily, and smart home devices through Nest—to exist alongside its advertising empire. But the transformation was more than corporate mechanics.
Google was no longer the cheeky upstart; it was the establishment. Antitrust investigations multiplied in the U.S. and Europe. The “Don’t be evil” motto quietly disappeared from its code of conduct. And while Google continued to innovate—Google Assistant, AI research through DeepMind, breakthroughs in translation—the shine of innocence dulled. The company that once seemed like a playground was now a fortress, defending itself against regulators, competitors, and public skepticism.
From 2020 to 2025, the story has been about artificial intelligence and reckoning. Google’s AI models, from BERT to Gemini, became central not just to its search product but to the very future of technology. The rise of OpenAI and ChatGPT forced Google into defensive innovation, scrambling to prove it could still lead. The shift toward generative AI marked both a continuation of its mission to “organise the world’s information” and a crisis: could people trust Google to mediate not just what exists online but what is generated out of thin air?
Meanwhile, YouTube wrestled with disinformation, Android with competition from Apple’s walled garden, and the company as a whole with questions of labour, unionisation, and ethics in AI development. By 2025, Google is still one of the most powerful companies on Earth, but its aura is contested, its role less innocent, discovery more contested, and empire.
What makes rereading The Google Story now so fascinating is how it captures Google at its most idealistic. It’s a book about possibility, about two students who believed they could reorder the universe of knowledge and about the early employees who believed they could work at a company that was both playful and world-changing. It has the glow of a creation myth, a sense of destiny unfolding. But when you set it against the subsequent timeline, that myth is complicated by reality: the compromises of capitalism, the entanglements of politics, and the gravity of becoming a trillion-dollar entity. The story that Vise and Malseed told remains compelling, but it is no longer the whole story—it is act one of a much darker, grander play.
And yet, the book remains essential reading. Not just because it explains how a pair of grad students cracked the code of search, but because it reminds us that all empires begin as experiments. It shows us Google before Android, before YouTube dominance, before antitrust lawsuits, and before AI arms races. It captures the fragile moment when the company could still plausibly claim innocence. In doing so, it invites us to reflect on what happens when idealism scales: does it inevitably erode, or can fragments of it survive even under the weight of billions of users and billions of dollars?
In the end, The Google Story is both a chronicle and a mirror. It chronicles how an idea became a company and how a company reshaped the world. But it also mirrors our own shifting relationship with technology.
In 2005, Google felt like liberation: infinite knowledge, instantly at your fingertips. By 2025, it feels like infrastructure, indispensable but also unnerving, a system we rely on even as we mistrust it. That duality—admiration and anxiety—may be the truest measure of Google’s impact.
For me, having read it in 2012, the book was a thrill ride through Silicon Valley myth-making, but rereading its narrative against the unfolding decades transforms it into something richer: a reminder of how quickly empires rise, how fluid innovation can be, and how even the most idealistic stories eventually tangle with power. It is not just the story of Google; it is the story of how the digital age itself grew up, stumbled, and learnt the costs of organising the world’s information.
The book reads like a journalistic fairy tale about two graduate students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who took a research project called “BackRub” and, in less than a decade, turned it into a global force.
The brilliance of the book lies not only in its recounting of the quirky personalities of the founders or the colourful culture they built but also in its recognition that Google was never just another Silicon Valley startup—it was an idea that rearranged how humanity thinks about knowledge itself. Reading it today, especially with two more decades of hindsight, is like stepping into a time machine. You see the seeds of what would become a trillion-dollar behemoth, but you also notice how innocent and even quaint the story feels compared to Google of 2025.
The book begins with the familiar Stanford lore: Larry Page, a Michigan-born PhD student with a fondness for algorithms, and Sergey Brin, the Russian émigré with a restless intellect and scepticism toward authority, meet in Palo Alto and quickly start collaborating. Their project, “BackRub”, was built on the insight that ranking web pages by the number of inbound links would reveal something about their relevance and authority.
That algorithm, later refined into PageRank, was the intellectual foundation for what became Google. Vise and Malseed capture this moment with a storyteller’s eye, framing it as a marriage of technical brilliance and obsessive curiosity.
Even when investors dismissed search as a solved problem or an unprofitable niche, the two students held fast, propelled by a conviction that their approach would revolutionise the way the world organised information.
The next act of the book is almost comic in its simplicity: Andy Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, scribbles out a $100,000 cheque after seeing the demo, even before the company has been incorporated. It’s one of those myth-making moments in tech history, a story retold endlessly because it condenses the essence of Silicon Valley: genius, luck, and money colliding in a garage.
From there, the book narrates how Google built not just a business but a culture—flat hierarchies, the famous “20% time” that encouraged employees to chase their passions, and an office environment that looked more like a playground than a corporation. Vise delights in these anecdotes: lava lamps, free gourmet meals, dogs roaming the offices. The point was clear—Google wanted to be different, and that difference was a selling point both for employees and for the world watching it grow.
But what turned Google from an idealistic search engine into a financial powerhouse was its advertising model. AdWords, the pay-per-click system that matched ads to search queries, was nothing short of revolutionary. It transformed online advertising, pulling dollars away from newspapers and television and reshaping media itself. The book frames this as a moment of genius, a pivot that fused technical rigour with business pragmatism.
What had been a great tool for finding things online suddenly became the engine of one of the most profitable companies in history. Google wasn’t just indexing the web; it was monetising human curiosity.
By 2005, when the book was published, Google was already expanding beyond search. Gmail had launched, Blogger was under its wing, and the first murmurs of projects like Google Maps were surfacing. The authors capture this as a restless energy, a company that couldn’t sit still, always chasing the next frontier.
At the same time, they acknowledge the growing unease: the motto “Don’t be evil” was already being tested by questions of privacy, monopoly power, and government pressure. Even then, the paradox was clear: how could a company that organized the world’s information remain innocent when so much power and profit were at stake?
Reading this in 2012, as I did, the book felt both exhilarating and already dated. Google had grown at a pace so blistering that even a meticulously reported account like Vise’s couldn’t keep up. And now, with the benefit of another thirteen years, we can trace the arc that the book only foreshadows. The real story of Google did not end in 2005—it only accelerated.
From 2005 to 2010, Google cemented its role as more than a search company. YouTube was acquired in 2006, a move that seemed whimsical at the time but has since become the crown jewel of online video. Android was purchased in 2005 and blossomed into the world’s most dominant mobile operating system, ensuring that Google would ride the smartphone wave instead of being drowned by it. Gmail moved out of beta, Maps became indispensable, and Chrome launched in 2008, disrupting Microsoft’s stranglehold on browsers. Each of these products wasn’t just an addition to Google’s ecosystem; it was a land grab in a different corner of digital life.
The next decade, 2010 to 2020, was about consolidation and power. Google became Alphabet in 2015, restructuring to allow its moonshot projects—self-driving cars through Waymo, life sciences through Verily, and smart home devices through Nest—to exist alongside its advertising empire. But the transformation was more than corporate mechanics.
Google was no longer the cheeky upstart; it was the establishment. Antitrust investigations multiplied in the U.S. and Europe. The “Don’t be evil” motto quietly disappeared from its code of conduct. And while Google continued to innovate—Google Assistant, AI research through DeepMind, breakthroughs in translation—the shine of innocence dulled. The company that once seemed like a playground was now a fortress, defending itself against regulators, competitors, and public skepticism.
From 2020 to 2025, the story has been about artificial intelligence and reckoning. Google’s AI models, from BERT to Gemini, became central not just to its search product but to the very future of technology. The rise of OpenAI and ChatGPT forced Google into defensive innovation, scrambling to prove it could still lead. The shift toward generative AI marked both a continuation of its mission to “organise the world’s information” and a crisis: could people trust Google to mediate not just what exists online but what is generated out of thin air?
Meanwhile, YouTube wrestled with disinformation, Android with competition from Apple’s walled garden, and the company as a whole with questions of labour, unionisation, and ethics in AI development. By 2025, Google is still one of the most powerful companies on Earth, but its aura is contested, its role less innocent, discovery more contested, and empire.
What makes rereading The Google Story now so fascinating is how it captures Google at its most idealistic. It’s a book about possibility, about two students who believed they could reorder the universe of knowledge and about the early employees who believed they could work at a company that was both playful and world-changing. It has the glow of a creation myth, a sense of destiny unfolding. But when you set it against the subsequent timeline, that myth is complicated by reality: the compromises of capitalism, the entanglements of politics, and the gravity of becoming a trillion-dollar entity. The story that Vise and Malseed told remains compelling, but it is no longer the whole story—it is act one of a much darker, grander play.
And yet, the book remains essential reading. Not just because it explains how a pair of grad students cracked the code of search, but because it reminds us that all empires begin as experiments. It shows us Google before Android, before YouTube dominance, before antitrust lawsuits, and before AI arms races. It captures the fragile moment when the company could still plausibly claim innocence. In doing so, it invites us to reflect on what happens when idealism scales: does it inevitably erode, or can fragments of it survive even under the weight of billions of users and billions of dollars?
In the end, The Google Story is both a chronicle and a mirror. It chronicles how an idea became a company and how a company reshaped the world. But it also mirrors our own shifting relationship with technology.
In 2005, Google felt like liberation: infinite knowledge, instantly at your fingertips. By 2025, it feels like infrastructure, indispensable but also unnerving, a system we rely on even as we mistrust it. That duality—admiration and anxiety—may be the truest measure of Google’s impact.
For me, having read it in 2012, the book was a thrill ride through Silicon Valley myth-making, but rereading its narrative against the unfolding decades transforms it into something richer: a reminder of how quickly empires rise, how fluid innovation can be, and how even the most idealistic stories eventually tangle with power. It is not just the story of Google; it is the story of how the digital age itself grew up, stumbled, and learnt the costs of organising the world’s information.
March 21, 2010
صدمت في بداية قراءتي للكتاب من معرفة أصول مؤسسا جوجل اليهودية ، و انتماؤهم لـ"إسرائيل" ، خاصة أن الفصل الأول كان يقدمهما من خلال محاضرة أعطوها في جامعة هناك يحثون الطلاب على الإنتاج كما فعلوا . مشاعر متضاربة ، بين الدعوات المنتشرة بكثافة عن "مقاطعة" المنتجات اليهودية ، و بين فكرة أن الإنترنت بدون جوجل و منتجاتها لا تعني شيئا ، لي على الأقل . دفعني هذا لكثير من التفكر في مسألة المقاطعة و أبعادها بشكل عملي في محيطاتنا . ربما أناقشها في المدونة .
عدا عن ذلك ، الكتاب جميل يسبر أغوار تجربة جوجل و كيف بدأت بفكرة مجنونة لدى طالبي دكتوراة ، و انتقلت تدريجيا خطوة بخطوة لتصبح شركة عالمية بانتشار واسع جدا و أرباح كبيرة . طبعا ، لا يخلو الكتاب من التفاصيل المملة و بعض من الحشو ، لكن يمكن تجاوزه بسهولة .
تعلمت :
× من قراءتي لهذه التجربة و تجربة آبل في كتاب سابق ، و من سياق تجربتي ، بت أؤمن أن المشاريع الناجحة لا يكون بها أكثر من رأسين يديران / يؤسسان بدايتها . و ساند تلك الخلاصة التي خرجت بها ، اقتباس ساقه الكتاب لمختص يؤكد فكرة مشابهة .
× امم ، أظن أن عوامل نجاح تجربة جوجل ممكن تلخيصها في :
-ثبات المؤسسين على نظرتهم التي بدأوا بها ، بعد أن حددوا وجهتها و معالمها
-حرصهم على اختيار عناصر شركتهم ، في البداية ، بعناية شديدة
-توفيرهم للجو المناسب لمن انضموا لشركتهم ليشعروا بالانتماء للشركة (من خلال إعطائهم أسهم) ، و ليسمحوا المجال لتشجيع الابتكار لديهم ، و توفير بيئة تقل فيها التوتر و يكثر فيها المتعة و الدعم .
-حرصهم على تفوق منتجهم أكثر من حرصهم على الكسب المادي ، و بعد أن تأكدوا من جودة المنتج ، اتجهوا للتفكير بالكسب المادي بما لا يتعارض مع نظرتهم للشركة أو يؤثر على جودة المنتج
اقتبست :
Quoting Page, "There is a phrase I learned in college called, 'Having disregard for the impossible.' That is a really good phrase. You should try to do things that most people would not."
"Inspiration still required plenty of perspiration."
Quoting Brin, "The only way you are going to have success is to have lots of failure first."
Quoting Bring, "The more you stumble around, the more likely you are to stumble across something valuable."
Quoting Andy Bechtolsheim, "They believed in word of mouth. This was the opposite approach. Build something of value and deliver a service compelling enough that people would just use it."
"The key to Google's approach was breaking down complex tasks into smaller chunks that could be handled simultaneously."
"[Michael:] Moritz had seen over and over again how start-up companies fonded by pairs of entrepreneurs who shared a common vision had a greater chance for success than lone individuals. It had happened at Microsoft with Bill Gates and Paul Allen. It had happened at Apple with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. It had happened at Yahoo."
Quoting Michael Moritz, "They had a great sense of purpose, which is a prerequisite for anyone who is nutty enough to want to start a company. That burning sense of conviction is what you need to overcome the inevitable obstacles."
"Google had something else special about it... a rule that software engineers spend at least 20 percent of their time, or one day a week, working on whatever projects interested them. The 20 percent was a way of encourage innovation."
Quoting Beda, an employee at Google, "The intrapersonal environment at Google is very energizing. When someone comes up with a new idea, the most common response is excitement and a brainstorming session. Politics and who owns what rarely enter into it. I don't think that I've seen anyone really raise their voice and get into a huge knock-down-drag-out fight since coming to Google."
عدا عن ذلك ، الكتاب جميل يسبر أغوار تجربة جوجل و كيف بدأت بفكرة مجنونة لدى طالبي دكتوراة ، و انتقلت تدريجيا خطوة بخطوة لتصبح شركة عالمية بانتشار واسع جدا و أرباح كبيرة . طبعا ، لا يخلو الكتاب من التفاصيل المملة و بعض من الحشو ، لكن يمكن تجاوزه بسهولة .
تعلمت :
× من قراءتي لهذه التجربة و تجربة آبل في كتاب سابق ، و من سياق تجربتي ، بت أؤمن أن المشاريع الناجحة لا يكون بها أكثر من رأسين يديران / يؤسسان بدايتها . و ساند تلك الخلاصة التي خرجت بها ، اقتباس ساقه الكتاب لمختص يؤكد فكرة مشابهة .
× امم ، أظن أن عوامل نجاح تجربة جوجل ممكن تلخيصها في :
-ثبات المؤسسين على نظرتهم التي بدأوا بها ، بعد أن حددوا وجهتها و معالمها
-حرصهم على اختيار عناصر شركتهم ، في البداية ، بعناية شديدة
-توفيرهم للجو المناسب لمن انضموا لشركتهم ليشعروا بالانتماء للشركة (من خلال إعطائهم أسهم) ، و ليسمحوا المجال لتشجيع الابتكار لديهم ، و توفير بيئة تقل فيها التوتر و يكثر فيها المتعة و الدعم .
-حرصهم على تفوق منتجهم أكثر من حرصهم على الكسب المادي ، و بعد أن تأكدوا من جودة المنتج ، اتجهوا للتفكير بالكسب المادي بما لا يتعارض مع نظرتهم للشركة أو يؤثر على جودة المنتج
اقتبست :
Quoting Page, "There is a phrase I learned in college called, 'Having disregard for the impossible.' That is a really good phrase. You should try to do things that most people would not."
"Inspiration still required plenty of perspiration."
Quoting Brin, "The only way you are going to have success is to have lots of failure first."
Quoting Bring, "The more you stumble around, the more likely you are to stumble across something valuable."
Quoting Andy Bechtolsheim, "They believed in word of mouth. This was the opposite approach. Build something of value and deliver a service compelling enough that people would just use it."
"The key to Google's approach was breaking down complex tasks into smaller chunks that could be handled simultaneously."
"[Michael:] Moritz had seen over and over again how start-up companies fonded by pairs of entrepreneurs who shared a common vision had a greater chance for success than lone individuals. It had happened at Microsoft with Bill Gates and Paul Allen. It had happened at Apple with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. It had happened at Yahoo."
Quoting Michael Moritz, "They had a great sense of purpose, which is a prerequisite for anyone who is nutty enough to want to start a company. That burning sense of conviction is what you need to overcome the inevitable obstacles."
"Google had something else special about it... a rule that software engineers spend at least 20 percent of their time, or one day a week, working on whatever projects interested them. The 20 percent was a way of encourage innovation."
Quoting Beda, an employee at Google, "The intrapersonal environment at Google is very energizing. When someone comes up with a new idea, the most common response is excitement and a brainstorming session. Politics and who owns what rarely enter into it. I don't think that I've seen anyone really raise their voice and get into a huge knock-down-drag-out fight since coming to Google."
October 16, 2021
“Having a healthy disregard for the impossible”
October 12, 2025
The interesting story of how two Harvard PhD students created a search engine and centred a business on it, becoming billionaires and folk heroes.
For anybody interested in the story of Larry Page and Sergey Brin the basics will be familiar but much of the extra detail is worth reading, despite being rather hagiographic. I’d like to see an updated edition covering the later years.
For anybody interested in the story of Larry Page and Sergey Brin the basics will be familiar but much of the extra detail is worth reading, despite being rather hagiographic. I’d like to see an updated edition covering the later years.
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