How Google Works by Alan Eagle -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Title Page Welcome Dedication Foreword Introduction—Lessons Learned from the Front Row “Just go talk to the engineers”

The Finland plan When astonishing isn’t Speed The “smart creative” A fun project for the two of us Pyramids unbuilt

Culture—Believe Your Own Slogans

Keep them crowded Work, eat, and live together Your parents were wrong—messiness is a virtue Don’t listen to the HiPPOs The rule of seven Every tub (not) on its own bottom Do all reorgs in a day The Bezos two-pizza rule Organize the company around the people whose impact is the highest Exile knaves but fight for divas Overworked in a good way Establish a culture of Yes fun, not Fun You must wear something Ah’cha’rye Don’t be evil

Strategy—Your Plan Is Wrong

Bet on technical insights, not market research A period of combinatorial innovation Don’t look for faster horses Optimize for growth Coase and the nature of the firm Specialize Default to open, not closed Default to open, except when… Don’t follow competition

■ Eric’s Notes for a Strategy Meeting

Talent—Hiring Is the Most Important Thing You Do

The herd effect Passionate people don’t use the word Hire learning animals The LAX test Insight that can’t be taught Expand the aperture Everyone knows someone great Interviewing is the most important skill Schedule interviews for thirty minutes Have an opinion Friends don’t let friends hire (or promote) friends Urgency of the role isn’t sufficiently important to compromise quality in hiring Disproportionate rewards Trade the M&Ms, keep the raisins If you love them, let them go (but only after taking these steps) Firing sucks

■ Google’s Hiring Dos and Don’ts ■ Career—Choose the F-16

Treat your career like you are surfing Always listen for those who get technology Plan your career Statistics is the new plastics Read Know your elevator pitch Go abroad Combine passion with contribution

Decisions—The True Meaning of Consensus

Decide with data Beware the bobblehead yes Know when to ring the bell Make fewer decisions Meet every day “You’re both right” Every meeting needs an owner Horseback law Spend 80 percent of your time on 80 percent of your revenue Have a succession plan

Communications—Be a Damn Good Router

Default to open Know the details It must be safe to tell the truth Start the conversation Repetition doesn’t spoil the prayer How was London? Review yourself Email wisdom Have a playbook Relationships, not hierarchy

Innovation—Create the Primordial Ooze

What is innovation? Understand your context The CEO needs to be the CIO Focus on the user… Think big Set (almost) unattainable goals 70/20/10 20 percent time

■ Jonathan’s Favorite 20 Percent Project

Ideas come from anywhere Ship and iterate Fail well It’s not about money

Conclusion—Imagine the Unimaginable

From Downton Abbey to Diapers.com Who succeeds and who fails in a world of platforms? The emergence of the social web (and a start-up called Facebook) Ask the hardest questions The role of government Big problems are information problems The future’s so bright… The next smart creative

Acknowledgments A Note About the Authors Also by Eric Schmidt Glossary Newsletters Table of Contents Copyright