the search
I’m a few years behind on this one, but I finally got around to reading The Search - How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture by John Battelle
This was a fascinating read and I highly recommend it if you have any business or IT leanings. Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it accessible - and they’re well on their way. Google had to manage one of the most rapid growth rates in the history of business - they essentially went from $0 in revenue to over $4 billion in a matter of 5 years. In the beginning, they were the darling, the hot company, they could do no wrong. But as their influence increased, so did their critics. Here’s a great quote from their CEO Eric Schmidt:
“I am sure that there are people who were negatively affected by the decisions that we made and there was no disrespect meant. We behaved honorably; we chose our path. If you didn’t want to participate, It’s OK. Please take your money elsewhere. There are many, many ways to run the world, run your company, run your IPO. One of the things that bothers me about modern culture is that there is a presumption of only one correct way of doing things. It’s perfectly fine for Google to be run the way we run it as long as we tell you the truth. If you don’t like it, DON’T PARTICIPATE. You’re here as a volunteer; we didn’t force you to come. Right?
I wonder if we could include church in that list?
Tags: the search, john battelle, google, eric schmidt
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