Table of Contents
Foreword ix
How Alphabet Works xi
Introduction-Lessons Learned from the Front Row 1
"Just go talk to the engineers" 4
The Finland plan 8
When astonishing isn't 10
Speed 12
The "smart creative" 16
A fun project for the two of us 20
Pyramids unbuilt 24
Culture-Believe Your Own Slogans 27
Keep them crowded 34
Work, eat, and live together 37
Your parents were wrong-messiness is a virtue 38
Don't listen to the HiPPOs 40
The rule of seven 42
Every tub (not) on its own bottom 44
Do all reorgs in a day 45
The Bezos two-pizza rule 46
Organize the company around the people whose impact is the highest 47
Exile knaves but right for divas 48
Overworked in a good way 51
Establish a culture of Yes 53
Fun, not Fun 54
You must wear something 61
Ah'cha'rye 63
Don't be evil 64
Strategy-Your Plan Is Wrong 67
Bet on technical insights, not market research 69
A period of combinatorial innovation 74
Don't look for faster horses 77
Optimize for growth 78
Coase and the nature of the firm 81
Specialize 83
Default to open, not closed 85
Default to open, except when… 88
Don't follow competition 90
Eric's Notes for a Strategy Meeting 92
Talent-Hiring Is the Most Important Thing You Do 95
The herd effect 99
Passionate people don't use the word 100
Hire learning animals 102
The LAX test 105
Insight that can't be taught 107
Expand the aperture 108
Everyone knows someone great 112
Interviewing is the most important skill 113
Schedule interviews for thirty minutes 118
Have an opinion 119
Friends don't let friends hire (or promote) friends 121
Urgency of the role isn't sufficiently important to compromise quality in hiring 125
Disproportionate rewards 125
Trade the M&Ms, keep the raisins 127
If you love them, let them go (but only after taking these steps) 129
Firing sucks 131
Google's Hiring Dos and Don'ts 132
Career-Choose the F-16 133
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 143
Decide with data 151
Beware the bobblehead yes 153
Know when to ring the bell 156
Make fewer decisions 158
Meet every day 160
"You're both right" 162
Every meeting needs an owner 163
Horseback law 165
Spend 80 percent of your time on 80 percent of your revenue 168
Have a succession plan 168
The World's Best Athletes Need Coaches, and You Don't? 170
Communications-Be a Damn Good Router 173
Default to open 175
Know the details 178
It must be safe to tell the truth 180
Start the conversation 182
Repetition doesn't spoil the prayer 184
How was London? 187
Review yourself 189
Email wisdom 189
Have a playbook 192
Relationships, not hierarchy 198
Innovation-Create the Primordial Ooze 201
What is innovation? 205
Understand your context 207
The CEO needs to be the CIO 208
Focus on the user… 212
Think big 216
Set (almost) unattainable goals 220
70/20/10 222
20 percent rime 225
Jonathan's Favorite 20 Percent Project 230
Ideas come from anywhere 231
Ship and iterate 233
Fail well 237
It's not about money 240
Conclusion-Imagine the Unimaginable 243
From Downton Abbey to Diapers.com 244
Who succeeds and who fails in a world of platforms? 245
The emergence of the social web (and a start-up called Facebook) 247
Ask the hardest questions 249
The role of government 254
Big problems are information problems 255
The future's so bright… 258
The next smart creative 260
Acknowledgments 263
Glossary 271
Index 275
A Note About the Authors 285
