How Google Works

After ten years, Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg, who were both seasoned Silicon Valley business leaders when they joined Google, realised the value of Coach John Wooden's adage that "it's what you learn after you know it all." They had to relearn all of their managerial skills as they assisted in taking Google from a fledgling start-up to a worldwide phenomenon. All of those experiences have been condensed into a lighthearted, approachable introduction to corporate culture, strategy, talent, decision-making, communication, innovation, and handling change in How Google Works.

The authors describe how consumers now have more power than businesses due to the convergence of three tectonic shifts: cloud computing, mobile, and the internet. The businesses that can produce top-notch goods and draw in a new class of diverse workers—a term coined by the authors—will prosper in this dynamic environment. Unreported incidents from Google's company history are used to demonstrate the managerial maxims, which include "Think 10X, not 10%," "Exile knaves but fight for divas," and "Consensus requires dissension."

According to Rosenberg, "Eric and I developed an internal class for Google managers back in 2010." 'Google secret' was written on all of the class slides until one of the staff members proposed that we maintain the open-mindedness and share them with everyone. This book outlines the formula for our proprietary sauce, which is how Google innovates and gives its workers the tools they need to thrive.